1: A Village Burned to Ruin...

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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.

2: Move out...

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Nix awoke to a bright morning and he raised his head from the wagons wooden floor and looked around him. He looked toward the front of the wagon and saw that they were still in movement. He sat up and gripped the blanket that lay over his back and he laid it carefully to the side. Kahl’s warning about his magic making him pause before using his horn. The stallion stood up and walked to the front section of the wagon and poked his head through the thin sheeting over it. A young mare turned to look at him and a flush went over her cheeks as she looked at him. She was the Mayors daughter, Gemmed. Her light pink coat was bright in the sunlight, with her diamond cutie mark in a bright silver color.

“How are you feeling, Nix?” She asked him shyly.

“Much better thank you. Did you see what happened to the dragons?” He asked her and she shook her head in response to his question. “Did anypony see?”

“My father might have. He’s walking with the others behind the wagon.” She said to him.

She began to speak more but he pulled his head back through the thin sheeting and jumped back to the edge of the wagon and hopped out of it to the ground.

“Nix, lad!”

A shout caught his attention and he trotted to the others and smiled at their greeting. The one who had called out to him was the village blacksmith, Strong Hoof. “Good morning.”

“Morning. Good to see you bounced back over night. Last night you looked pretty bad.” The mayor commented to him. His light green coat was covered in a thin coat.

“Mayor Back Draft. I was that bad?” Nix asked.

“Yes. Though I only saw you after you were bundled into the wagon for a rest.” He admitted and placed a gentle hoof on ponies shoulder.

“I was wondering if any of you saw what happened with the dragons.” Nix asked them as he walked with them.

“Oh, the three trouble makers slunk into the trees and disappeared.” Draft replied to him. “Only one that was still there when we left was the big black one. I’m surprised you didn’t see him when you left.”

“I got knocked out so I didn’t see him leave.” Nix said back.

“Ahh. Well, least ya came out of it okay.” Strong said to him.

“But what started it?” Nix pressed.

“Auch. No idea what drew those lizards to us. They torched the back end first and then a minute later that big black showed up and they focused on ‘im. They roared and screamed back and forth and then they went after ‘im. Not sure what the goal of that big black was, but he sure gave ‘em hell.” Strong said to him.

“I was hoping they would take their fight somewhere else but alas, they remained.” The Mayor said aloud.

“He was trying to protect us.” Nix commented.

“How do ya figure, lad?” Strong asked him, his eyes inquisitive.

“I watched him. He even kept his tail up and over the houses to avoid hitting them. He kept pushing them back and even drove off the green one when it came after me.” Nix said to them.

“Well. Maybe Ah had the wrong of it then.” Strong admitted.

“He was trying to help.” Nix said, his voice had a faint tone of sadness as he thought over what had happened and what Kahl had lost in the end.

“Well. It’s good to hear that that big black dragon was on our side, then.” Draft replied.

“Anyway, what happened to you lad?” Strong asked him.

“What do you mean? I ran into the fire.” Nix replied, sarcasm in his tone.

“We know that part. But ya got a wound on your face that looks new, but Ah know ya didn’t have that before.” Strong said to him.

“Huh?” Nix replied dumbly.

“He’s right. It’s an open wound but there is no blood or anything. Plus, were your eyes always blue?” The Mayor asked as Nix stared at him.

"Wound?” Nix replied with a question of his own and reached up to touch his face. As he moved his hoof along the wound he recognized it as a duplicate to the wound that was on Kahl’s face the first time he saw him. “Oh…Umm…I don’t remember.” He said quickly. “And my eyes are blue?”

“Yes. It’s a vibrant blue and they might be giving off a slight glow as well. Weren’t they grey last I saw you?” Back Draft asked him.

“They were…are…umm, hang on. I need a mirror.” Nix replied and pulled away from them and jumped into the wagon. “Excuse me?” He pushed his head through the sheet once more, startling Gemmed. “Do you have a mirror?”

“Umm… Maybe?” She replied. “If you can watch the road I can check. I tossed a bunch of stuff into my bag before we fled.”

“Perfect. I’ll keep an eye out.” He replied, cheerfully and hopped onto the main seat and waited as she went into the wagon. He waited while she searched, he could hear her moving items as she looked for her own bag. Nix looked to the two stallions that were pulling the wagon and they looked back to him and smiled.

“Hey, you’re awake.” One said to him.

“Yeah. Sorry for adding to the weight, guys.” Nix joked to them.

“I know. Carrying you as well nearly busted my spine!” One quipped to him. “Seriously? You weigh maybe more than the average winter coat.” He joked back, sarcasm in his tone.

Nix shrugged at his words and tried to look sheepish. “I have weight...I just carry it better than most.” He jabbed back at him as Gemmed came through the sheet to join him.

“Here you go. Be careful with it, please. It was my mom’s.” She said to him.

“Now ya tell me.” Nix replied to her and gently took the mirror from her and looked into it.

His eyes widened as a pair of vibrant azure eyes stared back at him and the deep wound across his face showed through his midnight blue fur. “Wow.” He whispered to himself and looked at the wound closely. He pushed a hoof gently against it and he winced at the bit of pain from it and tried to smile as Gemmed watched him. “Thanks. You want it back or should I put it in your bag?”

“My bag is out so just set it on the blanket in it.” She said to him and he nodded to her.

“Got it.” He said and got back into the wagon and set the mirror carefully in the spot she designated.

Phoenix checked his saddlebags and made sure that they were secure before he hopped out of the wagon and began to walk alongside it. He focused on the dragon in his mind and when he was certain that he would be fairly well ignored in the shadow of the wagon.

“KAHL!” He yelled into his own mind.

“Yes? I can hear you just fine without the yelling.” The dragon snapped back at him.

“What did you do?”

“What did I do to what?”

“I just had something pointed out to me.” He began. “You were listening in I assume?”

“No. I was not eavesdropping if you wish to call it that.” The dragon replied.

“Oh…Shit. Okay, I was told that I have a wound to my face and my eyes are blue. I didn’t get hit in the face before and my eyes are grey.” He replied.

“Oh? I did not change anything if that is what you are thinking.” The dragon replied smartly.

“You had a gash to your face last I saw you.” Nix said to him.

"True. I took a claw to the face. Barely missed my right eye if I recall.”

“You are right but that’s not the point!” Nix pointed out. “And your eyes are blue. Mine are glowing blue.”

“Truly?”

“I really wish you had been paying attention. I even used a mirror to look into it. Hang on.”

Nix hopped back into the wagon and gently picked up the mirror once more and held it in front of his face, allowing Kahl to see what he was talking about.

“I see what you mean. Interesting. Well, those are my eyes I can agree with that. Mine are like that due to the flames I carry. But the fact that you also have the facial wound is a bit of a surprise.”

“Can I put the mirror away?” Nix asked.

“Yes. I see what you were talking about now.”

Nix carefully put it away once more and jumped out of the wagon to walk beside it once more. “Can I ask a vain question?”

“Sure. We are all allowed one every now and then.”

“Will this scar?” Nix asked.

“Most likely.” Kahl replied with a chuckle. “Unfortunately your good looks will be ruined.”

“Great. I don’t have many things going for me and now my good looks are ruined.” Nix replied with a laugh.

Kahl chuckled at his tone. “Well in the grand scheme of things it could be worse.”

“How?”

“Our roles could be reversed.” Kahl quipped.

Nix paused as the thought of being trapped in the body of a fire-loving dragon made him cringe. “I’d be whimpering the whole time.”

“True enough.” Kahl laughed at his response. “So did you learn anything?”

“Yeah. Everypony thought you were with the other dragons so I corrected them on that at least.”

“I thank you for that. It’s actually quite insulting to be grouped with them.” Kahl spat out.

“Easy. They fled before they saw the ending.”

“Probably a good thing.” Kahl replied. “So where are we going anyway?”

“I think we are headed to Canterlot.” Nix replied. “If I have my bearings right anyway.”

“I assume you to be correct. One would assume that they would seek aid from the rulers of Equestria.”

“Do you know them?”

“Of course not. What reason would I have to engage them in conversation?”

“How would I know? You’re a…What was it?”

A deep sigh rang through his mind and he could almost hear the exasperated eye roll from the dragon. “I am an Elemental Dragon.”

“Right…That. So you never thought to meet with the Princess?”

“I ask you again…Why?”

“She raises the Sun, and you rule over Fire so that’s kind of the same.”

“Hardly.” Kahl responded to him. “Think Nix. Why in the Great Depths would I go into a city of Ponies to consult with a Princess of the Sun?”

Nix thought it over and he kept coming to the conclusion that there was not a snowballs chance in Tartarus of them meeting. “Fair point. Next to no reason at all.”

“Exactly. A medium sized dragon is enough to send an entire village into a fit of screaming. What could one my size do to a city?”

“Oh.” Nix replied with a single word as the image of Kahl’s full form going into Canterlot went through his mind. “Oh by Faust! That would be hilarious!” He cried out as his mind fell to laughter.

“Indeed. Mass panic and pure pandemonium.” Kahl replied with a laugh. “I trust that you are not going to tell her about me? Correct?”

“Yeah no. Can you imagine the reaction to that?” He replied. “Horrid idea. We’d be thrown into a lab within seconds of the words leaving my mouth. That being said, can they hurt us?”

“Not really. Within us lies a great amount of raw magic and pure power. Trifling with us is suicide. It would be like running up to a volcano and trying to stop it from erupting with a water hose.” Kahl replied.

“A lesson in futility?”

“Exactly. We can be hurt just like any creature but attacking us is a poor choice. Within you rests the power of the flames that warm this world from within. Because I am within you, you also have some of the traits of a dragon.” Kahl explained.

“How do you know?”

“Just because you slept did not mean that I did.” Kahl countered.

“Oh. Good point. So what did you find out?”

“A few things, but nothing that will not need to be tested later to ensure that my thoughts are correct. Your body is much stronger than it was as a simple pony. By that, I do not mean that you can bench press a house.” Kahl replied quickly as Nix opened his mouth and then let it snap close with a click of his teeth.

A sigh once more went through his mind. “What? You have to admit that would be amazing.” Nix replied with slight prance in his step.

“No. Do you have any idea how many would question that?”

“I know. But still!”

He could almost feel the eye roll from the dragon as he went on. “Your body is tougher. Granted I have no way to fully test that theory at this time but for now, I can sense that you would not be cut by a dragon’s claw again.” Kahl admitted to him.

“Really?”

“Yes. Now that does not mean you can’t be hurt at all. A blade small enough can get through tough leather and even metal if the tip is fine enough. You have the strength of my scales to an extent. Do not go into a fight assuming you can shrug it off.” Kahl advised.

“Got it.” Nix suddenly paused and got closer to the wagon. “Did I get taller?”

“That is another thing I noticed. Yes, you are about a head taller than you once were.” Kahl confirmed.

“Cool.” Nix replied with a grin.

“I have a question for you, if I may?”

“Go ahead. I’ve asked enough so your turn.”

“Do you have a family?”

“Okay you can ask anything, but not about that.” Nix quickly replied.

“Understood.” Kahl replied and went quiet.

Nix walked ahead and the silence began to wear on him and he groaned aloud. “Okay fine. Look, my parents and I had a huge falling out about five or so years ago and we haven’t spoken since.”

“Must have been quite the argument.” Kahl admitted, his voice gentle.

“It was a fight for the ages, I swear. You’d think I told them I was going to become an ax murderer.” Nix complained. “I just told them that I wanted to travel and put off going to a higher learning school for a year. Just one year! How bad is that, honestly?”

“Does not seem too terrible in my opinion.” Kahl replied.

“Exactly! It’s not like I was going to never go. I mean I like magic and I like learning about it. But I wanted to see the world a bit and learn about the world outside of magic and they freaked out.”

“Seems odd to me.” Kahl replied as he spoke. “What was their reasoning?”

“They seem to think that I was going to travel and get a mare knocked up or something and ruin my future.” He replied. “If they had paid attention to me at all in school and on school breaks I have never even had a Filly friend.” He replied hotly.

“A what?”

“A mare that is more than a friend. Sorry forgot, dragon.”

“Ahh. I see. Did they simply ignore that part or where they truly not around?”

“Mom went back to being a workaholic once I was old enough to go to and from school without her. Dad is…around, I guess. I only saw him for parties and other outings. He was even more of a workaholic than mom. I mean, he was there when I needed to get my ass kicked for something. They definitely lowered the boom if I got a grade under an A.”

“I assume an A is the highest possible.”

“Yeah. They don’t give out A+’s.” Nix replied. “But yeah so we got into a huge fight and they told me that if I left then I was dead to them…and I called their bluff.”

“And walked away?”

“Yep.” Nix replied and shrugged. “Funny thing is I was never homesick. For once I had my life in front of me and I was allowed to enjoy it. I worked on farms and in the towns doing various tasks and even helped to build houses. I was enjoying my life for once. I had been on a schedule and all my time was commanded and accounted for in a way that I had never been allowed to simply sit back and enjoy it. It was all work, work, and more work. Yeah I did really well in school and I have a strong work ethic from it but I was just really…”

“Unhappy?”

Nix nodded as he walked. “Yeah. I never had any friend’s since I couldn’t go to any pony’s house to a sleepover or go to birthday parties. I was always…Alone.” He lamented and went quiet.

“I can relate to being alone.” Kahl replied to him, his voice quiet and soothing.

“How? You’re an Elemental dragon! I assume that means you’re basically a God among dragons.”

“True. But that brings a level of fear into others and they tend to avoid me for it.” Kahl replied.

“What about the other three Elementals?”

“We don’t always get along. Our Elements tend to clash and tempers flare. I don’t get along well with Water and Air hates all of us and Earth is almost too mellow to be around.” Kahl admitted.

“Wow. That does sound really lonely.” Nix replied and his head hung slightly as he walked.

“I and the others have a place that we stay together, which allow us to maintain a vigil over the Elements and we are to stay there.” Kahl informed him.

“I don’t think you stayed there.” Nix teased.

“No.” Kahl laughed. “I didn’t stay there long. I return every now and then to see what has been going on but it is not common to see me there with them.”

“I guess there are fights if you do?”

“Oh yes. I have fought with Air and Water many times.” Kahl chuckled as he related it to Nix. “We do not get along and it is better for everyone if we stay apart every now and then.”

“What are their names?” Nix asked.

“I will give you their nicknames since our True Names are hidden. Water is ruled by Ice. I know his name is more fitting and I always torment him over it.”

“I was gonna say it but I held back!” Nix laughed.

“Air is ruled by Suki and Earth is ruled by Mitsu.” Kahl finished with a chuckle.

“So you fight with Air and Water? Suki and Ice?”

“Yes. Fire and Water have always fought and Ice is an ass to put it gently. Perhaps he has mellowed with time but I very much doubt it.” Kahl replied.

“So when do you need to check in again?”

Kahl was quiet at the question and replied after a few moments. “Unfortunately soon. I am able to push the time back but eventually, it will be required for us to go there.”

“Great. So I need to get us to the other Elemental dragons without dying?”

“Essentially yes. But by then you will have learned more from me and hopefully be in control of the flames and we can ensure that they will not fight you when you reach them.”

“Why would they fight me?”

“I’m not sure they will. But they will sense that you are not entirely me and they will act as they need to.”

“Except Mitsu, right? He’s the calm one.”

“We might be able to get to him first and he will keep the other two at bay if he can. We might have no choice.” Kahl admitted with a sigh.

“Great.” They lapsed into silence as the wagon moved forward and Nix allowed himself to allow his mind to go mostly blank as they walked.

Nix grumbled as they stopped for the night and he was tasked with helping to cook. In the back of his mind, he could hear Kahl giving him instructions for the meat they were cooking and he was fighting not to lose his temper at the overly helpful dragon. As he flipped the meat one last time the dragon went quiet.

“Now you shut up.” He quipped to the dragon.

“Nothing more to say. You’re done.” Kahl shot back.

“Ugh.” Nix set it aside and looked up as the others joined him and began to pass out plates. “You nearly drove me crazy. What do you know of cooking anyway? Don’t you just swallow things whole?”

“I do not.” Kahl snapped. “I happen to enjoy roasting my food and finding spices for it. Might not be the most popular way to eat, but I like to think I am a bit more sophisticated than others.”

“Right.” Nix said back to him.

“You should thank me. Your cooking will earn you a few compliments.” Kahl said to him as the food was portioned out.

“Thank you?! You nearly drove me nuts.”

“Nix?”

The Unicorn looked up as his name was called. “Hmm?”

“Well done cooking lad. Ah can’t cook to save me soul.” Strong said to him with a wide smile.

Nix was quiet as a chuckle rang through his mind. “No problem.” He replied to the Blacksmith while trying to ignore the smug laugh of the dragon.

“Never took ya for much of a cook.” He went on.

“Not normally.” Nix replied with a tight-lipped smile. “Shut up, Kahl.”

“I told you.” The dragon said to him.

“Shh.” Nix said to him and focused on his own food as a plate was handed to him.

“It’s really good Nix.” Gemmed said to him with a wide smile.

Nix managed to smile as he cringed in his mind. “I have never wanted to hit a mare so badly in my life.” Nix commented, earning him a loud bark of laughter from the dragon in his mind. “Thanks, Gemmed.”

He looked to the others around the fire and went quiet as they all ate. Once they had all finished and began to clean up for the night. Nix was quiet as he cleaned up the fire carefully. He watched the flames as he snuffed them and finally relaxed as they were reduced to ash.

“You also realize that you are immune to being burned now, right?” Kahl spoke up.

“What!?”

“I figured that was a given. I rule the realm of fire. What ruler can be burned by their own flame?”

Nix had stopped and was still as he processed what the dragon had said. “I hate you so much right now.”

“Why?” Kahl chuckled as he replied to the annoyed Unicorn.

“I hate fire.” Nix reminded him. “But I have to admit that it’s nice not being able to get hurt by it. But now I have to watch it make sure I don’t step in it.”

“Hardly. Even if you did the odds of it hurting you fully before are slim, unless you do something unbelievably stupid.” Kahl replied.

“You realize that I was the one running into the fire right?”

“Fair point. Be careful. Since you are already cautious of it you should be fine acting as you always do.”

“You’re killing me, Kahl.”

“Nix!”

The unicorn looked up as his name was called out. He looked around for the source and saw Strong waving him over. He trotted up to him and waited as several others drew up with them. When they were all there and had quieted down the Blacksmith finally spoke.

“Okay lads. So we have a few decision to make. One of them is that we are going to Canterlot to alert the Princess about what happened so we need to decide who is going to speak to them.” He began.

“Them?” Nix thought to the dragon.

“Yes. There are two of them once more. Luna has returned from her thousand-year exile on the moon.” Kahl said to him.

“Oh. That’s new?”

“Not really. Been a few months. You should know this.” Kahl chastised him and the Unicorn grimaced.

“I know. I was always away from the village so I never paid attention.” He admitted and listened in to what Strong was saying.

“So Back Draft will be going obviously. But we need a couple of ponies who saw what happened to go with him. Gemmed should go as she is a witness to what happened. And I think Nix should as well.” Strong said aloud.

“What?” Nix yelped.

“Ya were the one that came up on the situation and was the first to act as well. Many ponies owe you their lives, Nix.” Back Draft said to him.

“No. I’m good. I’m good staying in the back…”

“No good, lad.” Strong said and waved a hoof to silence the Unicorn. “Ya are a hero for saving so many. Ya also is a good witness to the actions of the dragons.”

“But…” Nix tried to argue only to be silenced again.

“No buts.” Strong said, his voice firm and held finality in it.

Nix growled under his breath and gave in. “I don’t wanna.” He said to Kahl.

“I know and I agree with you. I would rather not go before them as well. But the choice has been made for us it seems.”

“Damnit.”

“Okay, so Back Draft, Gemmed and Nix will go before the Princesses. Be on yer best behavior.” Strong said aloud with a hearty laugh.

“Now. The next thing up for discussion is whether we stop for the night or not. I would like to stop but others have expressed concern about stopping in this area due to the chance of the airborne dragons finding up in the open. But it is up for discussion.” Draft said to them.

Nix was quiet as those around him began to speak up loudly. He waited as they went on. “Kahl? Opinions?”

“The odds of them having recovered from the thrashing I gave them is so slim it’s laughable. But telling them that is most likely going to bring more questions than we need to worry about. But those that have been pulling the wagon are tired and they need to rest as well. I recommend that you take the wagon with one other. You do not need to rest as much as they do. You have access to the strength I carry as well.” Kahl reasoned to him.

“Hey.” He was drowned out as the others argued. “Quiet…” He growled and waited as they kept speaking over him. “How much magic can I use to safely blast them?” He asked the dragon.

“Not much. But…” The dragon paused as he thought and Nix waited. “Go ahead and charge your horn. I will monitor it and tell you when to release it in a localized blast. It will be just enough to knock them back a step and hopefully shut them all up.”

“Got it.” Nix began to channel his magic and waited for the dragon to speak again.

Nix looked up as a bit of flame danced within his now blue aura. He focused and forced himself to ignore the flames. “Now.” Kahl finally spoke and he released the magic he held and he was glad to see that it did exactly as Kahl said it would.

“Okay, now, shut it all of you. Goddess preserve me. Okay so here’s an idea. I agree that stopping is not a good idea. But making the same ponies pull the wagons is cruel. So we switch up and they get to rest. I will take one and the others can be separated as well.” Nix said to them. “So let’s agree to keep moving. I don’t think those same dragons will come after us.”

“Why not?” Draft asked him.

“If you saw the thrashing they got from the black dragon you would agree. They were in tatters after fighting him. So the odds are remote at best. But I still don’t think we should stop.” Nix replied.

“The lad did see more than we did. So I’m with him.” Strong replied.

“All right. So Nix you take one of the smaller ones or are you okay with pairing up with another pony?” Draft asked him.

“Either one is fine. I rested well last night so I’m good to go.” Nix replied with a confident smile.

“Okay, you can take the one in the middle. That way if they do show up you can get free of it and help the others.” Draft replied and pointed to one of the smaller wagons.

Nix’s eyes widened at the sight of the overburdened wagon. “I think he’s mad at me.” He said to the dragon as he walked to the wagon.

“I think you are correct.” Kahl agreed.

“Bloody Hell.” Nix cursed and got into the traces. “Fricking throwing a temper tantrum.” He muttered aloud.

“Well at least you are well rested and able to show him how it’s done.” Kahl replied as the Unicorn began to get into the traces. “And I would recommend not using any more magic until I can start schooling you.”
“Why not?”

“You saw the embers of flame that were in your aura?”

“Yeah I saw those. Tried to ignore it.”

“I figured as much. That was the limit that you can use without schooling. Any more than that will be dangerous for those around you.”

“What?”

“If you lose control if it then it could prove…disastrous should others get close to it.” Kahl admitted.

i]“Oh. Yeah, no magic. I will put an out of order sign on it if I have to.”

“That won’t be needed. But it could prove comical in the meantime.” The dragon replied with a light chuckle.

Nix moved into the traces and cinched them tight around his barrel as Strong trotted up to him. Nix looked up to him as he stopped near him.

“Ya gonna be okay lad?” The pony asked.

“Should be fine. Why?”

The pony looked at him and then glanced over his shoulder to the Mayor and then back to him.

“You noticed it too.” Nix said with a laugh. “I think I pissed him off.”

“Indeed ya did. He’s pretty fired up over it. He was sure that we should stop. Ah told ‘im that it was suicide to assume that the dragons in the area would leave us alone. But ya know how he can be.” Strong said to him.

“Yeah. Not sure what he gets his knickers in a twist over since he’s not going to be pulling. He can sleep for all I care.” Nix replied. “He gets bent out of shape over the stupidest shit.”

“That he does. Ah’m with ya lad but we need ya right now. So don’t; get your horn in a twist over it.”

“I know. I’ll keep my head down for now. But he keeps acting stupid you know I won’t stay quiet.” Nix replied. “I never have.”

“Ah know, kid. Just keep yerself together, we need ya.” Strong said to him and patted his shoulder. “Ya going to be okay with this?”

“Yeah. It’s no problem, Strong. I got this.” He assured the blacksmith.

The other pony nodded to him and left him to his own. Nix made sure he was in the traces and pulled for all he was worth forward. A shrill yelp escaped him as the wagon surged forward behind him and he fell forward, flat to the ground.

“Hahaha!” Kahl’s laughter echoed through his mind.

“Ouch.” He muttered as he got to his hooves and dusted the dirt off his chest and forelegs. “Okay so added strength right?”

“Yes.” Kahl replied through his own laughter.

“Oh shut up.” He said aloud and gently pulled the wagon forward and into line with the others.

3: Nights Pass By...

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Nix looked up as the wagon in front of him slowed to a near stop and he waited as it dug out of the mud and began forward once more. The rain had down poured for a short while that afternoon and had been more than enough to soak them all and make the roads thick with mud. The ponies ahead of him were struggling as they moved forward. Nix cursed under his breath and tried to keep his own temper in check.

“For the love of the Flames!” Kahl cursed colorfully in his mind.

“A bit frustrated there Kahl?”

“By the Gods this is maddening. You could have made a path in the time it takes them to dig themselves out every ten minutes.” The dragon snarled.

“That’s an idea.” Nix replied. “Could I break a path?”

“Easily. Anything is better than the constant waiting.” Kahl growled.

“Hey!” Nix shouted to the wagon ahead of him.

“I know! I’m trying!” He yelled back.

“No. That’s not what I meant.” Nix now found himself cursing as well. “Kahl. Can I get a boost from you?”

“Yes? Why?”

“I’m going off-road.” He replied and began to pull onto the muddied shoulder of the road.

“Go.” Kahl replied.

Nix pulled harder against the traces and threw his weight forward as he pulled off the main road and began to trot forward. He saw the strange glances he got from the other wagons as he plunged ahead.

“Veer slightly left.” Kahl advised.

“Got it.” Nix did as the dragon instructed him and he galloped forward finally reaching the front and veering in front.

“Dig deep and trot ahead. You will need to keep a steady pace to avoid having Strong go up your flank.” Kahl advised him and the stallion nodded as he focused on his job.

Nix could hear the others behind him shouting at him and he dug deeper into the mud that was now up to his hocks, it stuck to his fur as he dug in. The Unicorn stayed at a steady trot and kept up that pace until morning began to dawn and the sun rose in the skies above him.

“Ease up. The others are beginning to fall back a bit. You led them a fair distance. Be ready to tell them a story about how a smaller Unicorn was able to outpace the workhorse.” Kahl said to him.

“Magic.” Nix replied aloud.

Kahl chuckled as he slowed down and finally stopped as a shout sounded out behind him. He waited as the sound of hooves drew up to him. “Pant a bit.” Kahl said to him as Gemmed came up to him.

“Nix, are you okay?” She asked.

The Unicorn panted as the mare spoke to him. “I’m okay.” He replied to her, feigning being out of breath.

“You broke the road for, like, three hours. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I‘m good. Everypony was struggling and I was still pretty rested so I figured I could help out by breaking the road and making it easy for them to keep up the pace.” He said to her.

“You are amazing.” She said to him.

“Not really. Is everypony okay?” He asked her.

“Yeah, everypony is okay. Just a bit worn from the road. So we will eat and then switch out and let the others rest.” She said to him as her name was called and she trotted away from him with a flick of her tail.

“That was nice of her to check in.” Nix though to the dragon.

“…I’m not sure if you’re clueless or blind.” Kahl replied to him.

“Huh? That’s mean.” Nix said to him. “How am I clueless?”

“She is quite fond of you.” The dragon replied.

“Not sure why. She and I really didn’t talk much. I mean, she’s nice enough, if a bit shy.”

“If I had a body I would be slapping my paw to my face.”

“Okay why?”

“She is flirting with you. And you are either blind or ignorant. I am not sure which.”

“She’s what?!”

“By the Flames. And the verdict is blind.”

“No way. I am so not her type.”

“Do you even know her type? Or even yours for that matter?”

“I like…umm…Shit.”

“Ha-ha.” Kahl laughed as the Unicorn looked uncertainly back the way the mare had gone.

“But I don’t like her that way.” Nix said to him. “What do I do?”

“I would advise doing nothing. Continue as you have been and do not string her along. Which you have not been doing so just keep on as you are.” Kahl advised him.

“Great. Now I’m gonna panic when she comes close.” Nix replied.

“Just be normal.” Kahl replied.

“Not helping.” Nix grumbled as Strong came up to him.

“Nix, lad.” The pony addresses him.

“Hey, Strong. Are you okay? You look a little stressed.” Nix said to him, concern in his tone.

“Yer okay?”

“I’m fine. Why does everypony think I’m hurt or something?”

“You broke the mud for us for three hours son.”

“So?”

“Yer not a…Heavyweight pony.”

“Duh.”

Strong gave him a look and Nix nodded to him. “Yer a lightweight son. How did ya manage it?”

Nix was quiet and pointed to his horn. “Magic.” He replied.

“Ya can keep that up for that long?”

“If I do it right, sure.” Nix chirped back to him.

“Well if it works, then I’m all fer it. Thanks, lad.”

“No problem. Do you need me to keep going?” Nix asked as the other began to walk away.

“We need ta feed ya first.”

“Right.” Nix unclipped the traces and followed the other stallion as they went back to the fire.

“Well done on keeping that questioning from going further. Allow them to question but always keep the truth at bay.” Kahl advised.

“Agreed. The last thing I want is for them to find out about you. I’m more nervous about meeting the Princesses.” Nix admitted.

“I am not looking forward to it either if that helps. But between the two if us we can keep our Pact a secret. Simply tell them what you saw and keep to the story that you were unconscious and did not see what happened to me. Which is technically accurate.” Kahl replied.

“Thank Equestria for that.” Nix replied with a chuckle.

“Ya okay lad?” Strong said as he glanced over his shoulder.

“Yep. Just thinking.”

“Ahh, good fer ya. Keep up.”

“Thanks.”

Nix went quiet as he followed the other pony to the waiting fire and sat among the other ponies as they waited for their meal. He sat back and looked around him to find that each pony looked exhausted and was covered in mud from hoof to knee. He looked down and saw that he was in the same condition and managed not to chuckle. Each pony looked to him and one finally spoke up as they waited.

“How did you manage to run to the front?” He asked.

“I ran.” Nix quipped.

The others laughed at his reply and nodded at the other stallion. “That’s not what I meant you smart ass.”

“I know. But you asked and that’s the truth. All I did was dig in and go forward.” Nix admitted.

“Yeah, but you’re not exactly a cart pony.” They went on.

"I know. But I do have one thing over you.” Nix replied. He pointed to the horn on his forehead and watched as they all nodded and laughed.

“Okay, that’s a good point. Unicorn magic is definitely a difference between us.” They laughed.

Nix nodded as plates of food were handed out and he took one as it was given to him. He slowly ate his breakfast and watched as the other ponies began to gather by the main carts and he looked away as the Mayor and Strong began to argue once more. He could sense that Kahl was more interested in the brewing argument than the stallion was.

“Why are they arguing this time?” Kahl asked.

“Who knows? They have kinda been at odds ever since Draft took over as Mayor.” Nix replied.

“Strong was in the place before him?”

“No. Strong’s wife was. She passed away last year and Strong didn’t want to take over so Draft petitioned for the position and got it. But ever since, he seems more interested in expanding the village and the bits it could generate. Most just want the village to remain the community it was and enjoy the company of the ponies around them.” Nix explained.

“I see. Should he not be more interested in the happiness and prosperity of his people than his pocketbook?” Kahl replied.

“That’s how it should be, but Draft was a city pony before he came to the village. So he still has that big city feeling to him and it clashes with the others. Now that the village is gone I’m not sure what will happen to it.” Nix told him.

“What is your opinion?” Kahl asked.

“I don’t know.” He admitted and looked away from his food and to the skies above him. “I’ve been there for a couple for years because I owed them.”

“I would say that you have paid them back two-fold.” The dragon replied.

“Yes. I’m beginning to think so as well. Plus I always felt that I owed the couple that directly took me in and saved my life.”

“They lost their lives that day. I am sorry for your loss.” Kahl said to him, his voice somber.

“Thanks. I will miss them. They were good ponies and never asked for any in return for the life they saved. I offered and they told me to let it go. I stayed…for them.” Nix admitted it the dragon.

“I know. But they have gone from this world and you are free as well. I may not have known them but I have met their type. And they always wish the best for those that they meet. I do not doubt that they view you in the same way and would be glad to hear that you are freed from the burden you feel to them.” Kahl said to him.

“I know. And I know your right. But I’m going to help them to Canterlot at least so I will do what I can to help them get settled again.” He was quiet as he thought over what he might wish to do now. “Will you help?”

“Of course.” Kahl replied quickly to his question.

“Thanks. I guess I should go over there and pull them apart…Again.” Nix said and set down the plate he was using and walked over to the squabbling stallions. As he neared them he could hear that they were fighting over who would rest and who would pull the wagons. Nix sighed and he reached them

“Okay, ease up guys.” He said and they ignored him. Nix growled as he pushed his way in between them and forced the arguing ponies apart. “Enough!” He yelled at them. “Goddess preserve me you two argue like an old married couple.”

“We do not.” Draft replied.

“Yes, you are. Geez. I can fix this. Those that rested overnight can pull the wagons and the others will pull. So Strong will rest and you will pull.” Nix said to them, his voice louder and held finality.

“I have to pull?” Draft replied, his expression shocked.

“Yes.” Nix replied. “You are no better or less than any pony here. Your title means nothing right now Draft. Get off your high pedestal and get your hooves dirty. I can keep going so I will break the trail and try to keep the mud at bay. I can’t do it all so stay in my trail. That will make things easier. Strong?”

“The lad is right. We need to work together. I am sorry fer arguin’ with ya.” Strong replied, his tone clipped.

Draft looked angrily from stallion to stallion and finally nodded. “Fine.” He snapped and trudged toward the wagons.

“He hates us.” Nix said aloud as the Mayor vanished around a wagon.

“Yup.” Strong replied.

“Without a doubt.” Kahl voiced as well.

“He’s just mad that Ah told him the truth.” Strong commented.

“Which is?” Nix asked as they looked back to the resting ponies.

“That there is no need of a Mayor when the village is ash.”

“Oh. So that’s why he’s so bent out of shape. You know how he is about that title.” Nix commented as Kahl chuckled in the back of his mind.

“Yep. Kept saying that he should be working for the ponies and not standing over ‘em.”

“While I agree with you, can we pause the fight till we get to Canterlot?” Nix asked with a plaintive glance to the blacksmith.

“Yeah. Will have to wait for the end of it till we get to the Princesses.”

“Goody.” Nix replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Not lookin’ forward to it?”

“Not really.” Nix replied. “I already said what happened so what is the point of dragging me in there to explain.”

“Ya were the only one ta run back there, lad. Ya saw the fight better than us.” Strong reasoned.

“Damn you and your reasoning.” Nix quipped to him with a laugh.

“Come on lad.”

“Should prove interesting to see if that pony does any work or hides until it’s too late to chase him down.” Kahl commented once the other stallion was out of earshot.

“Oh hell no.” Nix replied and trotted back to the group.

The Unicorn trotted around the wagons, his eyes searching as he finally spotted the pony he was looking for. Draft was sitting next to the lightest wagon of the group as if staking his claim on that wagon. Nix stared at him from the side of the other wagon and sighed.

“Well least he is not hiding away.” Kahl said to him and the stallion snorted in reply. “But he does not realize that he will be getting mud thrown at him from the wagon ahead of him. He would be better served to take the one behind you if he wished to stay cleanest.”

Nix backed away from the wagon, a smile crept over his features and he walked away from the sight. “Good point.” He though to the dragon. “That made my morning, Kahl.”

“I figured you would appreciate that bit of information.” The dragon chuckled back to him.

As he trotted back to his wagon he looked back as the others got situated as well. He began to pull the traces up around him as a pony pulled up close to him.

“Hey, Nix?” Gemmed said to him.

“Ahh!” Nix shouted as she startled him. “Holy Goddess, Gemmed! Scared the hell out of me.” He said to her and she flushed at his words. He panted for a moment as he recovered. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about that. Could I walk with you?”

“Huh?”

“Hahaha.” Kahl chuckled in the back of his mind.

Nix’s eyes widened as he recalled the dragon's words from earlier. “Umm…” His mind stalled out as he tried to answer her. “This is all your fault, Kahl!”

“Hardly. I suppose I could help you if needed.”

“YES!” The stallion cried out as the dragon gave an obvious sigh.

“Inform her that you would not wish to get her covered in mud since you will be trotting the whole way to break the track.” He advised.

“I wouldn’t want to get you covered in mud from me trotting and breaking the track for everypony behind me.” He said to her.

“Good.” Kahl praised as the mare smiled.

“Oh, that’s kind of you to think of me like that. I wouldn’t want to disrupt you while you’re working. Thanks for thinking of me, Nix.”

“Of course.” Kahl said to him.

“Of course.” Nix said with a thin smile.

The mare vanished and he waited until he could no longer hear her hoof beats on the ground. He sighed aloud and sagged in the traces. “Why are mares so complicated?” He asked the dragon.

“I do not have an answer for that. I suspect that the females of any race are similar in complexity.” Kahl replied.

“Great. Even dragons?”

“Oh yes.” Kahl commented with a chuckle. “Even more so in some ways.”

“Yeah no. I’ll pass for now. I’m a mess around mares anyway.” He replied with a shrug. “Thanks for the bailout by the way.”

“Not a problem.”

“Startup Nix lad.” Strong yelled to him.

“Got it!” Nix yelled back and pushed forward. He knew better than to throw himself into the traces as he had in the beginning and steadily pulled forward.

“Hold up!”

Nix’s ears flicked back as a shout went out and he slowed to a stop and leaned out as far as he could without getting out of line. “What the shit?”

“I am not sure.” Kahl replied.

Nix looked back and Strong trotted up to him, his face screwed up into a face of annoyance. The Unicorn was quiet as the blacksmith drew up to him and pulled in a breath of air and Nix could feel the anger in the air.

“Strong?”

“He’s at it again, lad.”

“Back Draft?”

“Yup.”

“Dammit. Now what?”

“Claims he hurt himself pulling.” Strong replied.

“I’m sure. Sprained his pride.” Nix jabbed. “So what does he want?”

“Wants to be carried.”

“Hell with that.” Nix yelped. “He can walk for all I care. I’m not saddling anypony with his dead ass.”

“Well. He wants you to carry him.”

Nix’s eyes widened. “I admit he has balls.” Nix replied.

Strong laughed at his reply and nodded. “Ay. He does at that. So should ah tell ‘im to bugger himself?”

“Yup.”

Strong nodded and trotted back the way he had come. Nix waited till the other was out of earshot. “Is he serious?” Nix yelled out to the dragon.

“Apparently he is.” The dragon chuckled. “You could carry him.”

“Why in the hell would I do that?”

“He seems to think that it will add the burden to you. When in fact he will suffer for it.”

“How so?”

“You have the heaviest wagon and are breaking the trail for the others. So the ride on this wagon will be punishing at best.”

“Ohhh…You’re a genius.” He replied. “Strong!” He screamed back.

The blacksmith came back to him and slowed at the malicious grin on the young Unicorns face. “Lad?”

“Let him ride. He seems to think it will bother me so let him ride. He will regret it.” Nix replied, the smile still on his face.

“Okay.” Strong replied and loped off to speak to the other stallion.

Nix chuckled as he waited and the pony was brought to him after a minute or so if waiting. The Unicorn looked back to him, feigning concern. “Get yourself hurt there, Draft?”

“Was an unfortunate hoof placement.” He claimed and pulled himself carefully into the driver’s seat of the wagon. “I appreciate you agreeing to let me ride here with you, Nix. Very mature of you.”

“Not a problem. Just keep yourself steady and enjoy the ride.” He replied and smiled warmly as he turned to look at the muddied and rough road ahead of him. His smile slowly morphed into one of malice as he waited.

“All set. Let us get back to our wagons and I’ll call up fer ya.” Strong said and left them to return to his own wagon.

“This is gonna be great.” Nix said to the waiting dragon.

The dragon chuckled at his glee and waited as well.

“Ho ahead, Nix.” Strong yelled out to him.

“Got it!” He yelled back and jumped in the traces, jolting the wagon forward.

A yelp from behind him urged him on as he broke out the trail. He surged ahead into a strong trot as he set the wheels into the trail once more and pushed ahead. A glance back gave him the incentive to keep going as Draft whined and complained as they went forward.

“Slow a bit.” Kahl advised and Nix did as he said.

Nix held back a sadistic chuckle at the upset whining from behind him. The time passed by him as he drove forward and the trial began to level out and the mud gave way to hardened soil, making it harder to break through it evenly. As a small hill loomed ahead, Nix was beginning to feel fatigue beginning to catch up to him.

“Kahl?”

“I can help you get up there but we will need to rest after this. I have been supplementing your strength with my own reserves. We can get to the bottom of the hill ahead of us but we are going to have to stop there.” Kahl advised him.

“Got it.”

Nix pushed into the traces and he drove up the hill ahead of him. He could feel warmth seeping into his muscles as Kahl pushed strength into him and urged him forward. The midnight blue stallion pushed into the traces and pulled up the hill and reached the top panting with the effort. He looked up and he could see the shining city of Canterlot in the distance.

“Finally.” He breathed out and focused on getting down the hill without falling.

“Nix?”

“Yeah, Draft?”

“Will we be going to the city before the evening?” The Mayor asked as the Unicorn crept carefully down the hill.

“Only if you’re pulling this thing.” He snapped back. “I’m done for the night.”

“It’s not too far away now we could…”

“No.” Nix cut him off as they reached the bottom and he pulled off into the grass.

The Unicorn collapsed into the grass and laid still in the traces. He could hear the other wagons as they made it down the hill but he didn’t move. Weariness bit at his body and he didn’t even have the desire to move from his place. In his mind Kahl was quiet but he could feel the dragon’s strength was still with him and he thanked him quietly as he laid still.

“I am with you.” Kahl said to him and kept up his quiet support of the exhausted pony.

“Nix!” A shout caught his ear and he flicked an ear back to the roads. Strong entered into his vision and he looked to him. “Lad, are you hurt?”

“No.” Nix muttered out loud. “Just…done.” He replied.

“Got it.” Strong said to him, relief in his voice as he began to pull the traces off of the Unicorn and he clicked his tongue when he saw that some of his fur had been rubbed in places but didn’t seem injured.

“All right, lad. Can ya get to yer hooves?”

“I think so.” Nix replied and slowly got to his hooves.

His legs shook slightly but he stood on his own four hooves as Strong began to guide him away from the abandoned wagon. “All right son. Sit down here and we’ll get ya some food and let ya sleep for the night.” Strong assured him as he indicated for the Unicorn to sit down and wait quietly in place.

Nix nodded and sat where he had told and waited as the others moved around him. “Kahl?”

“Yes, Nix?”

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. It will take a little while to replenish my reserves but I am fine. I advise doing exactly as Strong has said. Eat and then sleep. You have done the work for them for nearly twenty-four straight hours. You have earned the rest.” The dragon said to him.

“We both have.” He replied and sighed.

He looked up as a pony sat next to him and handed him a plate of food. He took the plate from Gemmed and ate in silence as the others shifted around him. He felt a hoof on his back and looked over his shoulder to see Strong checking in on him.

“I’m good.” He replied to the concerned pony.

The blacksmith nodded and looked to the mare at Nix’s side. “Watch over him ya hear?” She nodded and smiled back to him. “When he’s done put ‘im in the back of yer wagon and let ‘im sleep it off. Ya worked hard today, Nix. Ya earned a good rest.”

Gemmed nodded and stayed at his side. When he finished his meal he set the plate down and got to his hooves. Gemmed placed a hoof on his shoulder and her hoof gripped a small chunk of his mane. She led him to the wagon that he had slept in over a day ago and she hustled him into the back of it and tossed a blanket over his shoulders and let him sleep.

“Good night Nix.” She said to him and gave him a gentle nuzzle before she closed the back of the wagon.

He heard her hooves leave him behind and he closed his eyes. “Kahl?”

“Sleep Nix. You have to rest now.” The dragon replied.

“I will. Thanks for your help.” The Unicorn whispered aloud.

“Of course. Now rest, Nix.”

Nix’s eyes closed and he could feel himself slipping into sleep and he let his head fall to the side and he let his mind go blank as he fell asleep.

Nix groaned as he awoke. He could feel a warmth around him and he snuggled down into the blanket and tried to go back to sleep. He paused as the warmth beside him shifted and he opened one eye and he could see a pale pink coat ahead of him and he opened his other eyes to see. He lifted his head slowly and he saw Gemmed cuddled close to him and his eyes went wide.

“Ahhh!” He shouted and leaped forward, only to fall from the wagon in a tangled heap. “Ouch.”

He got to his hooves and looked up as Gemmed stared at him from inside the wagon. His eyes were still wide as she cocked her head slightly at his panicked expression.

“Calm down.” Kahl said to him. “There was nowhere else for her to sleep so Strong told her to sleep next to you.”

“Oh…” He said aloud.

The Unicorn blinked and shook his head as if to clear it. “Sorry about that Gemmed. I didn’t know you were there, so I panicked a bit. You okay?”

“I’m fine. Are you?” She asked him.

“Yeah. Aside from being an idiot.” He joked to her.

She giggled and pulled the blanket off her back and set it back in the wagon. The mare jumped from the wagon. “At least you’re okay.” She said to him and walked past him.

Nix stayed in his place as the mare left him behind. “There are times where you are one of the dumbest ponies I have ever met.” Kahl poked at him.

“Shut it.” He grumbled and looked around him.

The Unicorn joined the others around the fire and waited for his meal to be given to him. AS he sat in silence he could see the tiredness of the ponies around him and he made sure to wait patiently and let others go ahead of him. He got his meal and trotted away from the group and sat next to the wagon he had pulling the days before.

“Hey Kahl?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you good to go?”

“Yes. We both have recovered from yesterday.”

“For a dragon and a fit pony we tired out really fast.” He began.

“That was a onetime thing, thankfully.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As time goes on we will become more attuned to the other and your stamina will improve greatly. Our Pact is still growing and it will take time for it to become fully stabilized. We are two separate species so it takes time.” Kahl said to him.

“Oh. That makes sense actually. So our tiring out yesterday was a onetime thing?”

“Yes. In time we can go days at that same pace and outlast even those in your age bracket.” Kahl supplied.

“Cool.” Nix commented and a smile tugged at his mouth.

He finished his food in silence and stood to take it back to the others when Gemmed came around and reached out for the plate. He smiled and gave it to her and she walked away from him back to the others. He looked to the sky to avoid watching her hips as she moved away from him. He grumbled as Kahl began to laugh at him as he closed his eyes in a grimace.

“I hate you.” Nix said to the dragon, who continued to laugh at his awkwardness.

“I’m sure you do.” Kahl replied as he chuckled.

“Nix!”

The Unicorn looked up as the Mayor and Strong both came up to him.

“Great.” He grumbled to the dragon.

“Here we go.” Kahl replied.

“How’s it going, guys?” Nix said to them as they stopped close to him.

“You seem in good health this morning Nix.” Draft said to him.

“Yup. Glories of being young right?” He quipped.

“Indeed.” The Mayor replied. “As we discussed before me, Gemmed and you will be standing before the Princesses today. Are you ready for this task?”

“Sure.” Nix replied, trying to look certain of the decision. “I would rather not but I was told that I need to be there so I will do my best to tell it as I saw it.”

“Good. Make sure you tell them what you saw. Even if it’s not exactly the same.” He replied.

“What?” Nix said to him.

“What ya talkin’ about?” Strong asked him.

“We need to place blame where it is best. The last dragon we saw was that big black one. Logically he is the one that was the last to leave so much of the damage could have been from his departure.” Draft explained.

“Excuse me!?” Kahl yelled and Nix fought back a cringe at the volume. “This pompous little cretin should be kissing my claws! I should have let them eat him.”

Nix could feel Kahl’s outrage at the other words and the Unicorn tried not to act angry as he responded. “Blaming that black dragon is not going to happen. He was protecting what he could to allow ponies to escape. I will tell them the truth and not some stupid story that was made up.” Nix said to him.

“We must act in the best interest of the village and…”

“No.” Strong said to him. “Ya want ‘im ta lie and tell yer version o’ the truth. You self-centered pony, yer not lookin’ out fer the rest o’ us just yerself. Nix will tell the truth and the Princesses will be told the only truth.” Strong replied, his tone angry.

Draft looked at both of them and shrugged. “The truth is what we make it gentle colts.” He said as he turned away from them and walked back to the group.

“That stupid, pig-headed, jackass of a pony.” Strong cursed.

“Oh no.” Nix said and looked to the blacksmith. “Where’s Gemmed?”

“No idea. Why?”

“If he tells her to lie then I’m the one lying.” Nix replied to him as he broke into a trot as he looked for the mare.

“She is by the wagon where you woke up.” Kahl said to him as he moved.

“How do you know?”

“You could tell as well if you focused. I will teach you how to teach another time.”

Nix broke into a lope as he saw the wagon and he sighed with relief at the sight of the light pink mare. “Gemmed!” He shouted at her.

“Nix.” She said as she turned to him.

He drew up next to her and looked around to find that they were alone. “Has your dad talked to you about Canterlot yet?”

“No. He asked to talk to me once we got to the palace.” She said to him.

“Okay good. Okay so he was talking to me and Strong and he wants me to lie about what happened.”

Her eyes widened and she looked to him. “What? What did he want you to say?”

“He wanted me to blame the black dragon, you know the one that was trying to protect us?”

“Why?”

“Said that logically we should blame him for the damage.” He replied to her

“But he didn’t do a lot of the damage. It was the other three.” She said to him.

“I know and that’s what I said but he said that the truth is what we make it. And walked off.” Nix said to her. “I wanted to talk to you before he did and asked you to lie.”

“I won’t lie to the Princesses.” She replied to him and looked angry as he spoke.

“I know you won’t that’s why I came to talk to you. All I want is the truth to be told to them. I know you’re an honest mare that’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

“I promise you I won’t let him tell me to lie.” She said to him with a smile.

“Give her a hug.” Kahl said to him.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Nix reached out and hugged the mare and she held him tightly. She nuzzled his neck and he gently let go of her. “I knew I could count on you, to tell the truth. Thanks, Gemmed.” He said to her and she smiled and nodded to him.

The Unicorn walked away from her and looked around to find Strong. “Why did I have to hug her?”

“You won’t like the answer. But it shows care for her and you have earned the truth with a small bit of affection toward her.” Kahl replied.

Nix stopped and was quiet. “That’s so…underhooved.” He replied.

“I told you, you would not like the answer. But in my defense, you do have some affection for her in a friend type of way. It’s not as if I asked you to mount her.”

Nix went stiff at the others words and a strangled cough broke from him. “I’m not going to respond to that.” He replied and walked ahead.

Kahl chuckled in his mind. “I have heard it said that once you find the right one, things are easier.”

“Shut up.” Nix yelped. “By the Goddess that is not going to happen unless I can block you when…that…happens to come up.”

Kahl laughed in response. “He’s still by your wagon.”

“Thanks.” He grumbled and broke into a trot to go back to Strong and report.

“Lad?” Strong said to him as he reached him.

“Hey. I talked to Gemmed and she has no intention to lie to the Princesses.” Nix said to him.

“That’s good ta hear. Ah always figured she was a good girl.” Strong replied with a nod. “You gonna be okay to pull today? Ah am happy to take yer place if ya want to rest some more.”

“Nah. I’m okay. I bounce back pretty fast.” Nix said to him and flexed one foreleg to show off.

“Ah’m sure ya do. Ah remember ya first coming to us and ya were down fer a couple of months.” He jabbed back at the Unicorn.

“That was…different.” He defended and tried to look defensive as a smile tugged at his mouth.

“Get yerself ready then. Don’t tie the traces so tight. Yer gonna rub yer skin raw.” The blacksmith advised.

“Got it.” He replied and looked to the leather traces and stepped into them once more.

The Unicorn got into the traces and left them loose as he had been told and waited for the others to call out to him to go ahead. He didn’t need to break the trail any longer so he could now walk fast and be able to stay ahead of the others.

“At least you do not have to worry about lies getting to the ears of the Princesses.” Kahl said to him.

“Thank Equestria for that.” Nix replied. “That would have been hard to fight against. Two of them saying the same thing makes me look like a liar.”

“Agreed. While you could have fought it. It would have taken time and they would have needed to speak to the others as well. The fact that you went into the village to save ponies adds credence to what you say. It goes to show that you were there the longest.” Kahl added.

“Yeah, but still. It floors me that he wanted us to lie about you.”

“Don’t remind me.” Kahl snarled. “If I had my own body I would have broken a personal rule and eaten him.”

Nix laughed out loud as Kahl spoke. “Not just roasted him alive?”

“Oh there would have been fire. But that would not be what killed him.” Kahl replied and Nix cringed as he chuckled at the dragon’s vehemence.

“Don’t have a taste for a pony?”

“Gods no. I’m not the type to pick on the weak.” Kahl replied.

“Not that weak!” Nix countered. “But considering that you rule over Fire then maybe we are pretty weak.”

“Exactly.” Kahl responded with a chuckle.

“Celestia controls the sun so that would have hurt you.” Nix replied.

“Not really.”

“Huh?”

“What do you think the sun is made of?”

Nix was quiet as he recalled his science classes. “A ball of gases and…oh…fire.”

“Precisely. So she would have been giving me a solid win.” Kahl replied with a confident sneer.

Nix went quiet at the sound of hooves coming closer to him. He fought back a cringe as Gemmed drew up next to him. “Hey.” He smiled at her as she stood beside him.

“Hey, Nix. Can I walk with you?”

He was about to say no when he saw the saddened look on her face. “Hey? What's up?”

“It’s daddy.” She replied.

“What happened?”

“Ho ahead Nix!” Strong shouted to him.

“Right!” He shouted back and began to walk quickly forward. “Walk and talk?” He said to her with a small smile.

“He’s telling me that you’re going to try to tell the Princesses that you saved everypony and that you want to be Mayor and I…what? Why are you laughing?”

“I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you I promise.” He said to her as he laughed. “Okay, I’m good. I never want to be Mayor of anywhere. The idea is frightening. I didn’t save everypony. I saved a bunch sure but not everypony. I wish I could have but I couldn’t.” He said to her. “I wasn’t able to save a lot of them.”

“You did save a bunch of ponies.” She said to him.

“Yeah but not all. To say I did is a bold-faced lie.” He replied to her. “I will tell them exactly what I saw and nothing less than that. I don’t want to be Mayor or anything like that. He’s just trying to confuse and upset you. I’m sorry if I put you in the middle of his fight.”

“Fight?”

“He is not a big fan of Strong or me.” He said to her.

“Why not? You’ve always helped anypony that asks.”

“Yeah, but I have never been a fan of him being in charge. I know that he has done some good things but at the same time, he kept trying to turn the village into something it isn’t. It’s not a city, just a little town where the ponies all know each other and have known each other for generations. I didn’t grow up there and I was saved by the ponies that lived there two years ago. Shit, you’ve been there longer than me.” He said to her with a laugh and she smiled at him.

“I never thought about what he was trying to do. I just did as I was asked and tried to help the others as well. Everypony was so kind when we came to the village.” Gemmed said to him.

“Exactly. That’s how they have always been. None of them would ever have thrown you or me out despite us being new to the village. They always wanted to know if they could help us out or what they could give. They never wanted anything in return. I was in bad shape when I came to them and they helped and didn’t allow me to even ask about paying them back.”

“I remember when you came to the village. I wasn’t allowed near you until you were able to walk again. What happened?”

Nix shook his head. “Sorry, Gemmed. I don’t really talk about it. I’m sorry.” He said to her.

“It’s okay. Thanks for talking to me.” She said to him.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked her as she turned away from him.

The mare came back to his side and he waited as he finally nodded to him. “I am now. Thanks. Can I stay up here with you? Maybe this way my dad will keep his opinions to himself.”

“Or make it worse.” He chuckled to her.

“Maybe. But at least you’re honest.”

“I try to be.” He said to her.

They lapsed into silence as they both looked to the city that stood on the side of the mountain ahead of them.

4: Explanations and Recollections...

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Nix was quiet as they reached Canterlot and walked into the semi-crowded streets. Next, to him Gemmed crowded against him as he led the wagons toward the palace grounds. As they walked he could see that the mare with him was liking the crowds even less than he was. His anxiety about the unknown ponies began to show as his eyes scanned the area around him. He breathed out a breath and focused his mind onto his goals.

“Hey. Jump into the wagon. That way they can’t crowd you.” He suggested to her.

“I’m okay.” She said and stayed close to him.

He shrugged and kept going as he checked for signs along the roads. He paused as an apple cart raced toward them and he braced as it looked as though it would ram them and he turned to take the impact on his left side, pushing Gemmed out of the way. He watched as the pony applied the brakes and took off down the next street without even looking at them. He blinked as an annoyed noise escaped him and he got back to the task of pushing forward.

“You okay, Nix?” Gemmed asked him.

“Yeah. You?”

“I’m good. But I think I might take you up on the riding in the wagon offer after that fiasco.” She replied and he paused to allow her to jump to the wagon.

Once she was settled the Unicorn pulled forward and was greeted with the sigh of the packed streets. “Oh screw this.” He said and began to bully his way through the crowds.

“I was about to suggest the same thing.” Kahl said to him. “Will you be all right in this crowd?”

“Yeah. Time to stop being nice.” He replied and pushed forward. “Should be fine. If I focus on my goal I’ll be okay. Otherwise, it’s a bit overwhelming.”

They pressed forward and he could hear the others staying close behind him and yelling back at any rude comments from the city ponies. Ahead of him he could see that some had stopped to stare at the midnight blue Unicorn as he pulled a heavy wagon and showed no sign of stopping. He nearly snarled at the angry looks he got as he neared them and pushed through them. He pushed ahead and when they reached the main gates to the palace he sighed with relief and started through them. A royal Pegasus guard put down his halberd and stopped the Unicorn in his tracks.

“And you are?” He asked.

Nix looked at him, his face a mix of annoyance and anger as the pony stepped back a step at the look from the Unicorn. “Look. I have been pulling this thing for over a day and I am really getting tired of shoving my way through this damned city. All of the ponies behind me are from a village at the edge of the Everfree and it was burned down and destroyed by three very large dragons about three days ago. So we are here to talk to the Princesses and tell them what happened. I would be very appreciative if you would fly up there and tell them why we are here. If you want to stop me from bringing them all in here…Try me.” He snarled at the now wide eyed guard.

Nix shoved past the weapon and led the wagons and ponies into the main courtyard. He glanced back as the guard took to the air and winged his way to the castle. Kahl was chuckling in the back of his mind. “Nicely done.” He finally spoke in praise of the Unicorn.

“Truth be told I thought he would tell me to stuff it up my ass, but he didn’t.”

“It’s hard to argue with a clearly upset Unicorn who happens to be taller then he is.” Kahl replied.

Nix chuckled as the others came into the gates and stopped in a large circle and unbuckled themselves from the wagons. Gemmed jumped from the wagon and came to stand next to him as he removed the traces and set them on the ground.

“That was really impressive, Nix.” She said to him.

“Huh?” He replied to her. “Oh. Well, we needed inside and he was in the way.” He said to her.

“Lies.” Kahl said to him.

“Maybe.” He replied as the mare giggled and he saw her pause as her father approached them.

“Are you ready to go inside?” He asked them both.

“We should probably wait till that guard that I spoke to comes back.” Nix said to him.

“You did what?” Draft questioned him.

“I told him that we were from a village that had been destroyed by a group of dragons and that the Princesses needed to know about it.” He replied, his voice confident as he addressed the other stallion.

“Let me do the talking here Nix.” He replied.

“Nah.” Nix replied. “If you don’t want me to talk then why ask me to speak anyway?”

“I thought that you would be more receptive to helping the village get as much funding as possible to rebuild.” He replied.

“You don’t give a damn about them.” Nix replied hotly. “You want me to lie to help you. Did you even ask them if they want to live there now?”

Draft was silent as the younger stallion back talked him. “You know nothing about politics…”

“I know enough. I was raised here in Canterlot, so I saw more of it than you probably did.” Nix countered, cutting him off.

“You still should be silent and do as you’re told.” Draft sneered at him. “Come Gemmed.”

The mare looked at Nix as he shook his head, anger in his eyes as he stared at the older pony. “Father.”

The stallions both looked at her as she spoke. “You cannot lie to the Princesses. It’s wrong to lie at all. Mother would be ashamed of you. The ponies of the village have lost everything and you’re worried about what you’ll get from this. You told me to lie about Nix and what he did to save the ponies and tell them that he caused the fires.”

Nix’s eyes went wide at her words. “WHAT!?” He nearly shrieked at what the mare had said.

“You want to get enough bits to move to Canterlot and live off what you can take from them.” She went on. “I will tell them the truth about that I saw that day.” She explained. “The whole truth.”

Back Draft was silent as his daughter spoke. He came to stand close to her and raised his hoof to slap her. “Nix!” Kahl shouted and the Unicorn pushed the slim mare back and the slap hit him on the neck and he glared hotly at the elder stallion.

“How dare you!” He roared and reared up, pushing the other back. “You would use them for your own means. I will ruin you for this.” Nix said to him. “I will make it my job to make sure that you get nothing from them. They took you in and treated you as one of their own and you would use their misfortune to advance your own desires?”

Nix advanced on the pony and pushed him back toward a now waiting pair of royal guards. They grabbed the elder stallion and waited as Nix backed up and looked at Gemmed. “Come on. We have a story to tell.” He said to her and she nodded as she fell in behind him as the first guard led them forward. Nix’s breathing was forced as his anger rolled over him.

“Easy.” Kahl said to him.

“I know. But I can’t…I just can’t.” He said back to the dragon.

Kahl reached out to the enraged stallion and overlaid his own calm nature over the pony’s mind. Allowing him to gently force the midnight blue Unicorn to calm down. He could feel the anger that brimmed in the pony over what the mare had told him and the fact that he had tried to attack the mare had angered the dragon as well and he would have acted much the same in the pony’s shoes. But for now, he needed to calm down and keep his head on straight.

“Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Kahl. Hopefully, I don’t screw this up.” He replied.

i]“You will be fine. Tell them the clipped truth and all will work itself out.” The dragon said to him.

“Here we go.”

“It will be fine.” Kahl said to him as the doors to the throne room opened.

Nix breathed in and glanced over to Gemmed who looked just as nervous as he did. She looked at him and he tried to smile for her. “It’ll be okay.” He whispered to her. “We just have to tell the truth.”

“Right.” She whispered back, her voice quivered as she replied to him.

He bumped her with his shoulder and she smiled at him as they were beckoned forward by the guard. The guard led them up the Princesses and Nix could see that both of them were there. He recognized Princess Celestia and the guessed the other Alicorn to be Luna. His breathing quivered as he approached them and stopped when the guard addressed them.

“The representatives of Everstone are ready to speak, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” He spoke aloud.

Nix managed not to gulp audibly as he stepped forward another step. He held his head up as he looked from one Alicorn to the other. Celestia smiled kindly down to them while Luna stared down at them, her expression intense.

“My name is Arisen Phoenix and I have lived in Everstone for a little more than two years and stand before you to tell you what befell the village a mere three days ago. With me is Gemmed, the daughter of the Mayor of Everstone.” He said to them and motioned to Gemmed who bowed her head in silence.

“Welcome to Canterlot. I am glad that you have come before my sister and I and I eagerly await news of the village. Please speak freely to us.” Celestia said to him and looked kindly to her sister who gave a stiff nod to them.

“Not the friendliest is she?” Kahl commented.

Nix gave a slight smile at the dragon’s commentary and nodded to them. “I was not there when it happened. I was driving off a manticore that had gotten to close to the village and had turned back when I saw a cloud of black smoke coming from that direction. When I made it to the hill that is on the outskirts I saw four dragons.” Nix began.

“Dragons?” Luna bellowed.

Nix’s ears pinned at the volume and he leaned back slightly. He screwed one eye shut as his ears rung. He gave a slight shake of his head and nodded. “Yeah. Four of them.”

“Please go on.” Celestia said to him, a wide smile on her lips.

“Right.” He muttered and went on. “I got back to the village and I could see that one of the dragons was fighting the other three.”

“Fighting them?” Luna bellowed once more.

“By the Flames! Tell her to shut it or we will be here all day to get through this.” Kahl snapped.

Nix laughed and looked at the Princess of the Night. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you yelling at me?”

Luna went quiet as she looked at her sister, who had a hoof over her mouth and she blinked and sunk down in her chair. “You are using your Royal Canterlot Voice, sister dear.” Celestia advised her.

“Oh.” She whispered and went quiet.

“Thank the Gods.” Kahl sneered.

“Please go on.” Celestia said to him.

“Yeah…uhhh…Right, black dragon. So the biggest of the four of them was a black dragon. He seemed to be fighting with them and trying to protect the village.” Nix went on and he saw Luna's mouth open and he pinned his ears as she put a hoof over her mouth and went quiet. “I went into the village to try to get as many ponies I could out of there and to safety. I don’t remember how many houses I went into but I looked up after a few and I could see that the black was pushing them back and had lifted his tail to be over the houses to avoid knocking them down.”

“He was truly protecting you then?” Celestia said to him and he nodded. “It is out of the ordinary to hear a dragon behave in such a way but I am glad that he was trying to help.”

“I got attacked by the green dragon towards the end and the black got in the way and drove him off. I know the black laid down, but I got knocked out and didn’t see what happened after that.” He finished.

“You missed a few small things, but well done.” Kahl praised from the back of his mind.

“Thanks. I hope I don’t look too terrified.” Nix replied.

“Miss Gemmed?” Celestia said to the scared mare at his side.

Nix looked to her and motioned ahead by tipping his horn and smiled, trying to encourage her. She took a couple of shaky steps forward till her shoulder was level with his and she looked to the two Alicorns above her.

“They attacked the far side of the village first. At first, it was just the three large dragons but a few minutes in the bigger black dragon came from the sky. It didn’t land on the village, but off to the side of it and the others went to him and they roared and growled at each other for a while before they attacked him. The black looked like he was trying to angle the fight away from Everstone. But they pushed him toward it and I saw that he was trying to give the ponies as much time as possible to run away.” She said aloud and tears began to stream down her face as she spoke.

Nix said nothing as she spoke and tried to make sure that she knew that she wasn’t standing up there alone. The mare panted once she finished speaking and sat down to cry. Nix leaned into her a bit to try to make her feel better and Kahl crooned in the back of his mind. He looked to her and a breeze went over him as he looked up to find Princess Celestia in front of them. She looked to the mare and he backed away from the Alicorn as she took the sobbing mare into her forelegs and held her. He looked up and Luna was standing as well and slowly approached her sister and set a hoof on the mare’s mane trying to comfort her as well.

“Do you need to be comforted as well?” Kahl jeered at him.

Nix gave a quiet chuckle and shook his head. “Nah. I think I’m good.” He replied.

“Thank the flames for that.” Kahl replied.

Nix chuckled and silently thanked the dragon. He was pretty sure Kahl was doing it on purpose to alleviate some of the stress on the Unicorn but he didn’t bring it up to the dragon. He looked back and Luna was staring at him. His smile fell away as she didn’t look away from him. He backed up a step from her gaze as her eyes narrowed at him. He could feel fear creeping up his spine at her stare and he felt himself wanting to hide from her. He closed his eyes and when he opened them he chose to not fear her. He squared his shoulders and stared back at her. The mare seemed surprised and a small smile crept to her mouth and she nodded to him. Her eyes went back to the sniveling mare and away from him.

“Holy shit that was scary.” He commented to the dragon.

“It was certainly disconcerting.” Kahl agreed.

“Felt like she could hear you. Or sense you or something.” Nix explained. “That was scary as hell.”

“It was certainly odd to be stared at like that. I don’t think it had anything to do with me thankfully. I think she saw you chuckle and was wondering why.” Kahl replied to him with his own take on the situation.

“Still!” He replied. “Holy shit. How long has she been back? Does she have a chill out mode?”

Kahl laughed as he spoke. “She has been gone for a thousand years. So things are very different now. No doubt that she is still adjusting the change in times.” Kahl explained.

“Oh. Oh shit, that’s right. I forgot. Okay, I’m not mad anymore. That was still scary and weird, but now it makes more sense.” Nix commented.

“Simply give her the chance to adjust and I am sure that she will be fine.” Kahl added.

“Yeah. Your right so I shouldn’t judge her. Though if I am being honest for a second I was thinking I needed to jump out the balcony and hope that I somehow grew wings in the seconds it took to plummet from the castle to our imminent death.”

“Please don’t try that.” Kahl replied. “Besides, an Alicorn has the magic to grab you before you had the chance to jump to fall to our death.”

Nix stood quietly as the mare began to recover and accepted a tissue form the Princess, who backed up a bit to give her room to recover.

“I am so sorry.” Gemmed said to them as she sniffled.

“It’s okay.” Celestia said to her, wiping her tears on a tissue. “It has been a long and stressful time for you all and we will do all that we can to help. I do wonder why your father is not with us. Isn’t he the Mayor of the town?”

Nix gave a derisive snort and both Alicorn’s turned to look at him. The stallion was quiet as they looked to him and he had to try not to simply spout off about the older stallion. Gemmed sniffled and looked at the Alicorns.

“Nix?” She said to him.

“Yeah?”

“Can you explain to them what happened? I don’t think I can without crying.” She said to him.

“Yeah. I got it.” He said to her and came over to the Alicorn’s and stood close to them. “He’s with a couple of your guards last I saw.”

“Oh?” Celestia asked and encouraged him to go on.

“He was trying to get both of us to lie about the dragons and say that the black one did all the damage which was a bold-faced lie.” He sneered at the end and then looked apologetic to Gemmed who nodded to him. “He wanted to have you pay for them to rebuild but he wanted to take a large portion of the money and get a house here and never have to work again and live off that. He never even asked them if they wanted to rebuild there. What if they don’t want to rebuild where their friends and family were killed by three psycho dragons and…” He paused as Kahl made a sound in his mind and he cringed. “Sorry.” He said to them and sat down. “It just made me angry even though I’m not from there either.”

“You have every right to be mad, Nix.” Gemmed said to him. “I’m his daughter and I’m angry about it. You understand them better than anypony in this room.”

“What brought you to them?” Celestia asked him.

“A couple of years ago they took me in when I showed up on their doorstep. I’d been hurt and was in pretty bad shape. I offered to work off the bits it took to help me and they refused so I chose to stay there and do what I could to be useful to them.” He admitted.

“Thou owed a debt?” Luna spoke up.

“Yeah.” He nodded to her as she spoke normally and didn’t shout at him. “They always told me I owed them nothing, but I always felt that I did so I stayed to protect them.”

“Thee have paid them back now. Any remaining feeling of debt has been paid in full to the kindness shown to you that day.” Luna said to him. “Thou saved many lives by endangering thou’s own life in the process. Thou would have fallen to save them. We have no doubt that they died knowing that thee would always stand for them.”

Nix stared at her as she spoke and could only dumbly nod. Gemmed hiccupped as the Moon Princess spoke and the smaller mare blew her nose on an offered tissue. “I told you to give her a chance.” Kahl said softly to him as the Unicorn sat down. He looked to the Princess of the Night and smiled at her. Celestia looked kindly to her sister and nodded to them both.

“You have all been through a great ordeal. You are all welcome to stay here if you wish to.” The Sun Princess said to them both. “I do want to know what the ponies would like to do and assure them that we will support them, right Luna?” She asked her sister who nodded and a smile covered her muzzle.

Nix grimaced and looked to the outside as she spoke. They looked at Gemmed who nodded and stood up. “Should I go get them?” She asked.

“If you would not mind. I have a few more questions and if you think Phoenix can answer them then please do.” Celestia said to her.

“Nix had the best view of what happened. He knows more than I ever will.” She assured the two Alicorn’s who smiled and nodded to her as a guard led her out of the throne room.

“I don’t like this.” Nix said to the dragon.

“Be at ease.” He replied.

“Oh man, if they ask what happened to you what do I do?”

“Tell them the truth. I was gone when you came to.” Kahl replied quickly to him as the throne room doors closed.

Both Princesses looked to him and he tried not to look too nervous. “I’ll try to answer best I can.”

“What happened to the black dragon?” Celestia asked him as she got to her hooves.

“He was gone when I came to.” Nix replied to her.

“Did you see anything specific about him, any markings?” She went on.

Nix was quiet as he thought it over. “Just that he was bigger than they were. By a lot.”

“I have heard of few dragons that are larger than typical dragons. So no markings on his scales?” She asked.

“Nah. Nothing distinguishing. Why?” He pried a bit.

“There is a dragon that is the Lord of Dragons, but he does not often leave his lair. And he is more of a green. Pure black scales.” She whispered aloud.

“Hah! They are recalling Torch.” Kahl chuckled.

“Sister?” Luna finally spoke up and the elder Alicorn looked to her. “Could it have been an Element?”

Nix tried not to jolt and he hoped that they didn’t see the twitch that went through him.

“Easy.” Kahl said to him as the Unicorn panicked.

“Windows looking pretty good right now.” He whispered to the dragon.

“Not needed.” He replied.

“The Elemental Dragons have not been seen since the last time you and I met them, sister. One of them was black if I recall but he was smaller than the others and far more temperamental if I recall.” She said back to her sister.

“I am now the largest and the least temperamental thank you.” Kahl replied.

“That was over a thousand years ago sister.” Luna replied.

“Excuse me!” Nix called out to them and they looked at him. “Hi. What?”

“Pardon us. We have met a large black dragon before but it was many moons ago. Among the dragons, there is the Lord of Dragons and above him are the Elemental Dragons. They are meant to rule the Elements and are well respected and revered among dragon kind. So it is very odd to hear of dragons fighting with one and leads me to think that it is a different dragon.” Celestia explained to him.

“Oh. Yeah, he was big but that was all.” Nix replied. “Nothing major in the way of markings.”

“Thank you for telling us what happened. I have to admit that your name is familiar to me.” Celestia said to him.

“Oh no…No…No.” Nix chanted internally.

“Did you go to my school for gifted Unicorns?” She asked him.

“Shit!” He shouted in his head. “Yes.” He replied.

“I knew you were familiar. You did very well if I recall.”

“I did…okay.” He replied, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.

“But you did not return for the advanced courses that were open to you. May I know why?” Celestia pressed.

“Kill me now.” He said to the dragon who snorted.

“I do not wish to die so that request is denied.”

“I left home before being admitted to the dorms.” He replied to her.

Celestia looked surprised at his reply. “You were one of the most gifted that came through the school. You and Twilight Sparkle were well loved by the teachers due to your dedication.”

“I’m guessing Twilight kept going?” He replied.

“She did yes. Graduated this last year and came back under my direct tutelage after. You might have been the only one to match her in terms of raw skill.” Celestia praised.

“Thank you for the kind words.” He said to her. “I traveled instead.”

“Oh. I am certain your parents were supportive of that travel and…you are giving me a strange look.” Celestia said to him with a chuckle.

“It’s called an ‘are you stupid?’ look in this case.” Kahl replied.

“My parents were the opposite of supportive and I haven’t spoken to them since.” He replied, his tone clipped.

Celestia looked embarrassedly to her sister who had her hooves over her snout to hide her laughter. “Thou stepped in that one.” She giggled.

“You are right, I did.” She replied and laughed. “Please accept my apologies Phoenix. I did not wish to embarrass and upset you. I am guessing that you have no intention to go to them now that you are back in Canterlot?”

“Yeah, no.” He replied. “They can buck sand.” He replied and put his hoof over his mouth as Kahl howled with laughter. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back and then down as he groaned at his choice of words. The midnight Unicorn opened his eyes and looked to the Princesses who were both holding back their own laughter. “Sorry about that.”

At his words, both snorted a laugh and recovered quickly. “Well if you wish to meet with them at a later date, I would be happy to mediate.” Celestia said to him and he nodded in reply to her. “In the meantime what are your plans? Will you stay with them?”

“I hadn’t had time to think about it so far. I don’t think so though. I love them like family, but it never felt like a real home to me. I know they’ll be safe now and no pony will try to take advantage of them now that Back Draft is toast. But I don’t really have a plan of my own yet.” He admitted.

“Do you wish to pick up your studies?” Celestia asked him.

He chuckled and shook his head. “I think I’m a bit too old for a dorm now. I don’t think I’d be willing to go into a dorm now that I have seen more of the world and have grown past it. I like magic and I understand more of it after being alone and on my own, but I don’t think general study is for me at this point.”

“What about the applied study?” Celestia said to him.

Nix tilted his head at her reply. “In what sense?”

“I have many projects that are in need of a talented Unicorn to apply them. Twilight has her own studies now to attend to so I would ask that you look over them. You would, of course, be allowed to see to your own life and if you wish to travel more than that would be made a part of your tasks as well.”

“I’m surprised you got Twilight to leave Canterlot.” He replied with a chuckle.

“She is in Ponyville and is studying the Magic of Friendship.” Celestia said to him.

“Hah!” Nix barked out a laugh and leaned back as he chuckled. “Twilight with friends? That’s funny. She was even worse than me at making friends and I was horrid at it.”

“She has six new friends and now lives in Ponyville with them and Spike.” Celestia said to him.

Nix stared at her and his expression went from laughing to confused. “How in the hell did you get her to figure out what a friend is?”

Celestia laughed as Luna looked a bit uncomfortable. “She and the others rescued Luna from Nightmare Moon a few months ago.”

“The Elements of Harmony, you dolt.” Kahl tossed him a bone and he scrambled for it.

“The Elements of Harmony.” They nodded as he spoke. “I read about them but I assumed it was a mare’s tale and let it go.”

“You read it as well?” The Sun Princess asked him.

“Sure. Obscure magic? Yes please table for one.” He replied as he pointed to himself.

“You would do well in Ponyville as well I think. Do you have any friends that you wish to visit…you are looking at me funny again.” Celestia said to him.

“Again, I was barely not as bad as Twilight at making friends with other ponies like me.” Nix reminded her. “I simply avoided them and did my work. She mingled a little bit.”

Celestia looked to her sister who nodded in silent agreement. “Would you be interested in the magical projects that I have been unable to figure out?”

Nix’s eyes widened at her words and he frantically shook his head. “Kahl?”

“Magic that she is unable to work with? Certainly, this should prove amusing for both of us.” The dragon agreed.

“Yes.” He replied to her. “So where do I wander off to since I have no desire to stay in Canterlot.” He asked her.

“Ponyville.” She replied.

Nix paused as the thought struck him. “I just got set up, didn’t I?” He asked her.

“In a way, yes. You are in need of a place that feels like home and Ponyville will allow you to make friends of your own and also provide areas that will allow you to test the magic that I will send with you in a safe manner.” She reasoned.

“And provide an area of safety for me to instruct you as well.” Kahl replied. “I have to admit she played you well.”

“Shit. I got played and I walked right into it.” He complained in internally and nodded to the Alicorn. “Okay. You got me. But I am not Twilight’s experiment.” He replied pointedly.

“Oh?” Luna asked.

“Yes. I got used as her science pal once and she nearly killed my sense of smell and turned my coat orange for a week. So I will not be made a project for her to use for her friendship quizzes.” He said.

“Very well. I will let her know that you are coming but you have your own tasks to complete. If she wishes to make a friend of you will you be all right with that?” Celestia asked him.

Nix looked uncertain for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure. Can’t hurt worse than the last time.” He replied and the Alicorn nodded to him.

He heard an agreeing grumble from Kahl as the Alicorn came down from her throne to greet the ponies as they came into the room. Nix was quiet as she spoke to them and waited for her to speak to him about his projects and tasks.

“Ideas?” He finally asked the dragon.

“This could be beneficial to us. You need to be taught about the flames that we bear and how to use them without frying yourself. And the use of magic outside of Celestia’s use is intriguing. No doubt that we can use it for our own devices as well. So, in reality, it benefits us more than her.” Kahl reasoned and he silently agreed.

“I agree. The sooner I bail on this city the better.” He replied.

“She seemed quite shocked to hear about the split in your family.” Kahl said back to him.

“Yeah. She remembered me enough to know that I didn’t attend the classes but never asked my parents? Odd. But I wasn’t her personal protégé though so I guess that was that.”

“Still odd.” Kahl added. “One who is involved enough to recognize you despite the current changes and ask about you but not your family is very strange I have to admit.”

“Meh. Whatever. Past is the past and I can’t change it by staying here.”

“Was the fight that bad?” Kahl asked him gently.

“Yeah. It was pretty bad. It lasted three days if memory serves. But it's past and I can’t help but think that they are better off now. They can do whatever they want and so can I. I still love them since they are my parents but I won’t go out of my way to mend something they didn’t care enough to fix either.”

Kahl was quiet as they stopped speaking and watched the group toward the end of the hall. He looked up as Luna walked past him and glanced to him for a moment and then walked past him and toward her sister.

“Still think she sees something weird with me.” Nix said to the dragon.

“It is disconcerting.” Kahl agreed.

Nix looked past them and to the group as they spoke to her. He watched as Strong looked past them and to him. He gave a faint smile back to the blacksmith who gave a sad nod and looked back to the Princess.

“I will miss them.” He admitted.

“And they will miss you.” Kahl replied. “But you have done everything you can for them. You have protected them one last time by stopping Back Draft from using them for his own ends. If nothing they now owe you.”

“They owe me nothing. They helped me recover and taught me a few things as well. But I get what you mean.” He replied to the dragon.

He looked away from them and glanced over his shoulder at the sunlit balcony. He looked past it and out into the world beyond the walls of Canterlot. As he stared out the dragon in his mind spoke quietly to him.

“Now it begins.” Kahl whispered and Nix nodded in reply.

5: Tests and Choices...

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“You must be kidding.” Nix cursed as he regarded the piles of work in front of him.

“Well…You wished for work of your own.” Kahl replied.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would involve a continent of crap that I have to hunt through.” He replied.

The midnight blue Unicorn regarded the piles of paperwork in front of him with wide eyes. In front of him were tables of projects that had been left alone after their creators had been unable to finish them. Nix walked carefully up to the first table and looked down at the label on it.

“Perpetual motion and its magical application.” He read aloud and looked away for a moment. “That’s not up my alley.” He replied.

“Agreed. That’s not in either of our skill ranges.” Kahl agreed and the Unicorn moved to the next table. “It is convenient for her to allow you to choose the projects you wish to tackle.”

“Yeah. But holy Goddess.” He replied and looked at the next table. “Ooohhh. Here we go. Magical amplification and the use of metals.”

Kahl said nothing in reply and Nix tilted his head. “Use of metals? What in the Flames does that have in common?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s better than perpetual motion.” He replied and marked an X on the paper to signal that he wanted that project. He moved forward and to the next table. “Here we go. The Elements and magical application.”

“Pick that one.” Kahl replied, his interest in the projects restored.

Nix added an X to the paper and moved on. His hooves carried him around the room and he read the papers as he walked. The marker in his mouth made sure that he did not talk to the dragon aloud. As he moved through the tables Kahl read through them as well.

“Nix. Table with tomes on your right.” The dragon called out.

“Got it.”

The Unicorn veered off to the direction the dragon called for and paused in front of the table. Compared to the others it had the least amount of materials. The Unicorn looked at the paper. “Gemstone Blood Rituals. Can gemstone replace body?” He looked around as he read it aloud through the pen in his teeth and he paused. “What the shit?!”

“Easy. I have heard of this before. It was a very long time ago. Who was the original researcher?”

“Umm…Hang on.” He replied and pushed the papers back as he searched for the origin papers. “Starswirl… Okay, yeah we’re taking this one.” He replied and marked the paper as he walked away from it.

“That was quick considering your initial reaction.” Kahl said o him.

“It’s a paper done by the Starswirl the Bearded. Like hell, I’m gonna leave it here to gather dust. Hell no.” He replied.

“Interesting.” Kahl replied and seemed content enough with the Unicorns reply.

Nix moved through the rest of the room and chose several more as he walked. He was distracted by the tomes on the last table and did not see the Sun Princess walk into the room and begin to scan the papers to see his choices.

“Nix.” She called out from the front of the room.

“Ahhh!” He yelled at her voice and dropped the book in his hooves. He still could not use his magic and it thudded to the ground in front of him.

“My apologies. I thought you heard her.” Kahl quickly spoke to him as the Unicorn put a hoof over his chest and panted.

“There you are.” She replied and began to walk toward him.

“Geez.” He whispered and picked up the book to set it back in place and then write an X on the paper as well. “Yeah, back here.”

“I am sorry to have startled you.” She said to him and he nodded to her. “I see you have found many projects to entertain you.”

“Yeah. Quite a few actually.” He replied and nodded at her observation. “Who the hell left most of this behind? Some of them are cutting edge and could be used today.”

“Their original creators either passed on or were taken to other ideas. Some, unfortunately, could not be figured out with the knowledge they had at the time.” She explained. “I can see that you found one in particular.”

“The one by Starswirl?” He said as he looked to her.

“How do you know that’s the one I meant?” She teased.

“You’re not that hard to read, Princess. Plus, it’s the most controversial in the group.” He reasoned to her and she laughed as he spoke.

“Indeed. At the time it was put aside due to the lack of materials. I tried to figure it out but was unable to get it to work in practical application.” She replied to him.

“It cool if I take it then?” He asked her.

“Of course. I would not have had it removed from archives if I wished it to be ignored. It is all yours. If you have finished I would like to discuss some remaining details.” She said to him and motioned to the front of the room.

“Sure. I’m done.” He replied and nodded in understanding.

“Thank you.”

He set the pen down in the table and followed her out of the room toward a conference room. He walked in to find several ponies already in the room and he balked slightly at the door. A tap to his shoulder from the Princess got him to walk into the room. He sat down in a chair facing the door just in case he needed to run and waited as the Princess closed the door and sat down as well.

“Thank you for taking those Nix. It allows my sister and myself to see what will come of them and you are certainly skilled enough to take them over with your magic.” She said to him.

“Thanks.” He replied and smiled at her.

“Now we will need to discuss your fee and your home in Ponyville.” She went on. “So what do you feel is a fair fee for your time and effort?”

“Ummm…Let me think for a sec.” He said and she nodded. “Kahl?”

“She is technically getting the work of both of us so she is already getting two for one.” He joked and Nix had to hide a smile at the dragons reply. “I do not know the currency that is used by ponies so I am at a disadvantage.” He replied.

“I am not sure, to be honest. I’ve never sold my skills in research before.” He replied to her honestly.

"Well, we have paid experts to look over a few of those projects that you have chosen and many were unable to find any answers despite having no deadlines.” She replied to him. “So I am more than happy to say that I have seen your researching skills and magical aptitude before and I am certain that you can succeed where they have not.” She said and looked to the other ponies in the room. “So I propose that you take over their fee and their notes as well.”

“Are you certain?” Nix asked her. “I’m untested technically.”

“Were you not the one that outdid Twilight Sparkle in the practical applications test for entrance to the advanced courses of my school?” She asked him.

The ponies turned to stare at her as he rubbed the back of his neck at her reply. “I did…yes, that’s true.”

“Princess Celestia.” An older pony looked to the princess and then to the Unicorn stallion and back to her once more. “As you said he was better than Miss Sparkle at the beginning but he has not finished the classes and is therefore inferior to her.”

“What?” He yelped and stood up. “I am not inferior to anypony. Give me a test now and see how your words taste when I stuff them down your throat.” He snarled.

The ponies stared at him as he sat back down and glared openly at them. Celestia hid a smile behind her hoof and looked to the Unicorn stallion. “Calm down Nix. I am aware of your abilities but they may need some convincing.”

“You are an idiot.” Kahl snapped at him. “We can’t use magic.”

Nix’s eyes widened a bit and he closed his eyes as he realized the dragon was right. “Oh shit…I just killed us.”

“No. But you have certainly made things more difficult. I will do what I can to pull my power back and hopefully you can act fast enough to solve whatever they put in front of you.” Kahl said to him, aggravation in his voice.

“Sorry.” He whispered to the dragon.

“Nix? Will that be all right?” Celestia said to him.

He looked up and regarded her and a smile went over his mouth. “Can you go over it again so I can make sure I heard everything right? If you don’t mind?” He replied to her and she nodded kindly too him.

“Of course. I will bring a puzzle to you and your job will be to solve it and explain if needed. If you are able to use your magic to show how the answer is achieved as you do it then that would, of course, be preferred.” She repeated.

“Sounds like a plan.” He replied and sat back in his chair as her aura shone over her horn and a small box appeared in front of him.

“Kahl?”

“Go.” The dragon replied.

“Okay.” He whispered and his horn lit as his blue aura went over it.

The Unicorns magic picked up the box and it opened to reveal a set of metal parts and joints in the box. He stared at it as the parts began to hover around him as he looked them over. He set the original box down and looked at the parts in his magic as he began to move them along each other, he waited for the moment to begin to put them together. His magic covered them and he was getting a picture in his mind of how they would fit together and he began to move them and click them into place. His magic flowed easily and he watched as the pieces went into place. He finished and was left with a box that was in four sections. Each corner was disjointed from the others and he stared at it as Celestia hid a smile behind a hoof.

“That’s not the end is it?” He asked of her and she didn’t say anything and he looked back to the box and a small black gem sat in the center of the box and his magic pulled it out as well.

He stood up and stepped away from the chair and kicked it out of the way as he regarded the box and gem in his magic. He stared as his eyes were drawn to the older pony as he checked a watch and the Unicorn nearly yelled at him for trying to rush him but he paused and stared at the watch for a moment. “That’s it.” He whispered aloud as his focus went back to the gemstone.

He set the box aside in his magic and focused his eyes on the gemstone. He set his hooves and began to pull more of his magic into his horn and he heard a faint warning from Kahl and lowered his pull. He closed his eyes as sparks of flame began to come from his horn as he reached out to the gemstone and began to fill it with his own magical essence. He was careful not to drain it and leave plenty to make sure that Kahl’s power was let out. He slowed his push and began to slowly siphon into the gemstone and waited till he was sure that there was enough to allow him to reclaim it afterward. His magic fell into the gem now that he had altered the internal structure of the stone to hold a bit of his power for a short amount of time.

“Now!” Kahl yelled to him.

Nix’s eyes opened and he cut off the magic supply to the gem and swept the box around it and the connected the gems biological structure to the box and he set tendrils of magic to hold the gem inside the box and keep the magic contained for a short amount of time. A loud click went out as his magic pushed the box together and it clicked together and he watched as it thudded to the desk now that his magic had cut out. They startled at the thud and he chuckled nervously.

“Oops. Sorry didn’t mean to drop it.” He said aloud and reached out to hold it gently and carefully touched it with his other hoof. “It’s temporary, does that matter?”

“No. That was amazing Nix.” Celestia said to him.

“Not really. I’m pretty sure anypony can do it.” He replied and set it down.

“That task was set out to the graduating students to accomplish to graduate with honors.” She replied to him and he nodded. “Only three were able to complete it in good time. Many others had to redo the classes that touched on the task you just completed with five years off and no formal training.”

“I just got set up again didn’t I?” He replied and she nodded.

“A little perhaps. What made you chose to complete the box first?” She asked.

“I didn’t actually see the gem till I finished the box.” He admitted.

“Thank you for your honesty.” She replied with a warm laugh. “Though your decision to create a vessel from the gem is not what needed in the test was.”

“What?” He replied, his eyes wide as he sat down, the box spinning in his hooves on the table. “What do you mean it was not needed?”

“You simply needed to attach the gem to the boxes interior and have it click close with enough magical force.” She explained.

“Oh buck me.” He replied to her and sat heavily back in his chair.

“What made you choose to contain magic inside it?” She pressed.

“I was about to yell at him for timing me but when I looked at his watch the project from the other room hit me and I figured it was worth a shot.”

“Which one?” She asked him.

“The one looking into storing magical essence.” He explained. “I figured that if I set this little stone to hold a small amount of magic without breaking right away then I could start out on that project using larger vessels than tiny stones. If not then I could rebuild the little stone, if it failed to hold what I wanted, and just get it to stay in the box.” He explained to her.

“How did you get it to not break?” She asked him further.

“I sent a small spell into the gem to strengthen it and buffer the stones biology a bit. It’s really temporary and it…” He stopped as a slight cracking sound went out. “Just broke.” He said and the box opened to reveal the shattered piece and Nix’s horn lit to retrieve the magic from the pieces.

“And to retrieve the magic? It should have been released into the air.” She reasoned to him.

“Secondary spell.” He replied and shoved the opened box and the broken gem to the side. “It allows me to retrieve my magic without any backlash that happens with a simple release of magic into the air.”

Celestia looked to the wide eyes ponies with her and the oldest cleared his throat and signed the document in front of him. “Approved.”

Nix was quiet as he looked to hem and the others signed it as well. In his mind, he could hear Kahl chuckling quietly and he managed a smile as the document was set in front of the Princess.

“Well done Phoenix. Without any classes and courses in advanced magic, you have passed the final exam and even added to it. Well done and congratulations on your immediate graduation.” She said to him and signed the documents in front of her.

She slid one toward him and he stared at the certificate of graduation in front of him. The other ponies left the room and left him with the Sun Princess. He stared at the paper as it stared back at him. Celestia looked to him and she seemed puzzled at the lack of response from him.

“Phoenix?” She spoke his name and he flicked his ears to her. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Just…Stunned I guess.” He replied, his voice quiet.

“You have done well and I am impressed at the skill you have used. You have grown into a skilled stallion and a strong pony.” She said to him. “I know you do not wish to speak with them but I am sure they would be proud.” She whispered to him.

“Yeah. Probably. But at the same time, they would want to start planning everything for me again. I’m twenty and they’d act like I was ten.”

“You were fifteen when this happened before. Are you certain that...?”

“No.” He said to her with finality. “If you want you can send this to them, but I do not want their interference in my life. They ruled the first part of it, it’s my turn to rule the next part.”

The Princess nodded and her magic covered the graduation certificate. Her magic sent it away from them and she regarded him once more. “So I spoke to the ponies of Everstone and they asked that I give you a couple of gifts.”

He sighed and sat back in his chair once more. “They don’t owe me anything.”

“They know. I told them what you had said and this is a gift, not a payment. You were right that they do not wish to rebuild on the same site. They said that there was too much sadness there and they wanted to start over.” She said to him as two wrapped gifts appeared in front of him. One was long and slim and he pulled it close and looked at the note on it.

“Nix. You were the son we didn’t have and the best of us. Love Star and Melody.” He whispered and his throat closed up as he looked away and pushed it back from him.

“Nix?” Kahl’s voice reached out to him.

“They were the ones I lived with. They saved me that night.” He replied quietly.

Kahl said nothing in reply, but Nix could feel warmth go over him as he slowly pulled the box back to him and opened it. He ignored the tears in his eyes and pulled the paper away to reveal a new sword in its scabbard. He had broken the one that he had when they found him and lost the new one in the fight with the dragons. The scabbard was ornamented and small gemstones glittered back at him as he reached out to it to hold it on his hooves. The sword was light and the belt was soft leather. He pulled the blade out an inch or so and a great sapphire gem stared out at him. He could see himself on the jewel and he stared at it. He rolled the blade over and the gem was large enough to go through the thick blade and stared at him from the other side. A second note fell from the box and he reached down to pick it up from the floor.

“Nix: The old folks asked that Ah get this made fer ya. They wanted ta give ya the chance to leave us and go back out into the world. They wanted ya ta be safe and always have something ta remember them by. Melody insisted on a sapphire since she said ya would understand the meaning behind it. Star made sure that the blade would fit ya by saying that he needed to measure yer hip to make a shirt fer ya. (I can’t believe ya feel for that lie lad, but ya did.) So here is their gift to ya. Ya earned yer freedom from us a long time ago, but yer a stubborn one and refused ta leave us. Now that things have happened, Ah admit that I’m glad ya hung on like the stubborn lad ya are. All o’ us owe ya our lives. Be safe and live yer life, lad. I’ll leave ya ta name her and keep her close. Best Regards, Strong Hoof and the town of Overstone.”

Nix set the note aside and looked away from the Princess who had looked away from him to give him privacy as he tried not to cry in front of her. He held the sword close to him and cried silently over the gifted blade. He slid the weapon back into the scabbard and set it on the table as he wiped his tears from his face and regarded the second box. This one was much smaller and measured close to a foot in length but was only five or six inches wide. He opened it slowly and tissue paper obscured his eyes and he gently pushed it aside to reveal a written check in his name. His eyes scanned the check and he looked back to the Sun Princess who had a kind smile on her ageless face.

“What…Is this?” He asked her, his voice quiet.

“They asked that a bit of the money from their settlement go to you. I told them that I was sure you would take nothing for yourself and they smiled and said that they knew that you would give anything for them. They wanted to give you something from them. You can argue all you want but they were insistent.” She held up a hoof as he began to argue. “Most of them are rebuilding closer to the main cities but not close to Ponyville.”

“They don’t…”

“They know. But they didn’t want to leave you with anything less. I did explain that I would be paying you to do research and development for me, but they were firm.” She said to him, her voice quiet.

Nix gripped the check and pulled it slowly from the box and regarded it as he turned it over in his hooves. His eyes widened at the number on it and he looked to her. “This has to be wrong…”

“It’s not, I assure you. Strong Hoof will be taking over leading them and he wished to give you more and so did many of them, Gemmed included. You should say goodbye to her before they leave. She seemed upset that you were not going to be staying with them.” She replied.

He nodded and set the check on the table with the gifted weapon and sat back. “Why would they give me so much when they need it more?”

“They wanted you to be able to travel and do what you wanted to. No matter what that was they wanted you to be able to live as you wanted. They said that you were always there for anypony and never asked for anything in return. You gave two years to them and they loved every moment with you. But they said that you deserved to be able to LIVE and do whatever you want in life.” She explained gently to him. “You never asked them to give you a break and you ran yourself into the ground on their behalf. Those that saw you run into the flames were afraid to follow you. You did not hesitate to save everypony you found. Foals will live to see the days that follow because of your courage.” She said to him.

“I don’t...What do I say to them?” He said to her.

“I don’t think you need to say anything, Phoenix.” She replied.

“She is right.” Kahl said to him, the dragon’s voice seemed to echo through him.

The midnight blue Unicorn was quiet as he looked at her and nodded. “Okay. I’ll talk to them before I go to Ponyville.” He said to her.

“Don’t ask them to undo this, Phoenix.” She said to him. “They love you and want you to thrive. Accept this in the way that they accepted you.”

His eyes widened and he turned to look at the door. “She is right, Nix.” Kahl said to him and he raised his head as the dragon went on. “You gave them their lives and they wish to reward that with a meaningful gift of their own. They are not trying to pay you for what you gave them. They are wishing to see you go into the world and love the life that you seek to live on your own. They want you to love your life and live it as if this day is your last.”

Nix trembled as Kahl’s words echoed in his mind and he closed his eyes. “Okay.” He whispered aloud. “I still want to see them off.”

“They will be thrilled to see you. I will prepare your projects for your departure and ensure that the house I asked for is available to you to use. Please take your time with them. Any guard will take you to them.”

“Thank you.” He said back to her. He reached back and gripped the weapon and buckled it to his hip and looked at the check on the table. “Can you deposit it for me? Or do I need to wait till I get to Ponyville?”

“I will tend to it. I will need to set up the deposits for your fee as well.” She said and reached out to hug him close. “You did them proud and they will not forget you.” She said to him.

He startled and wrapped a foreleg around her to hug her back. “Thank you.” He said to her as she let him go.

The Unicorn ran out of the room and down the hallway. He slid to a halt and looked for a guard close by. The glint of armor caught his attention and he trotted over and tapped the white stallion on the shoulder. “Excuse me? Could you help me find…” His eyes widened as familiar pony turned to him. “Oh shit.” He cursed and tried to flee in the face of Twilight’s elder brother, Shining Armor.

“Hold up.” A hoof gripped the belt around his body and he groaned as he was pulled back. “I know you?”

“No. My mistake. I mistook you for another pony, my fault. Sorry, Bye.” He yelped and tried to pull away, only to be dragged back.

“No. I do know you.” Shining Armor said to him and circled around to face the dark blue Unicorn. “Arisen Phoenix?”

“Hi, Shining Armor. How goes it? Been a while.” He asked his voice tense.

“You’re the one that got Twily into trouble for a messed up experiment.” The older stallion said aloud.

Nix stood up and found that he was just a bit taller than the older pony and he had to fight not to grin like an idiot about it. “Yeah. Okay, can you just beat me up so I can go? I have other places to be.”

“I can’t beat you up. I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard.” The white stallion replied, pointedly.

“Oh. Wow. Well done. And for the record, my dad was the one who was mad about the mistake in science. Aside from a hurt nose, the orange coat didn’t bother me. My parents were the ones that were pissed.” He replied and the white pony looked surprised at the praise and clear explanation. “Look I need to talk to the ponies that are from Everstone.”

“Why? Wait. Are you the one that brought them all here?”

“Yes.” Nix admitted. “So I’m in a rush to say goodbye.” He replied and tried to get around the other stallion.

“Hold up.” The Captain replied and Nix gave a loud groan. “I can take you to them.”

Nix looked back, his eyes uncertain. “Really?”

“Yeah. You’re the one that was running into burning houses for them?”

“Maybe?” Nix replied.

“Come on.”

Nix looked back as the stallion led him down the hallway and he quickened his pace to keep at the Captains hip. As they weaved through the hallways Nix looked around him and watched in an attempt to find his own way around next time. Shining Armor led him out to the courtyard and he was glad to see the town ponies still there and he patted Shining on the shoulder as he trotted past him. “Thanks!” He yelped and galloped away from him.

“Your welcome.” Shining replied and turned to go back to his post.

“Strong!” Nix yelled and the blacksmith turned to look at him, a wide smile crossing his muzzle.

“Lad!” He shouted and trotted to meet the excited pony.

“I’m glad I made it before you all left.” He said to him as he hugged him.

“Not without sayin’ goodbye to ya. Ya got yer gifts then?” He said and looked to the sword now at Nix’s hip.

“Yeah. I did. Thanks for saving it from the fires.” Nix said to him.

“Had ta. No way was Ah gonna lose it.” He replied with a hearty laugh. “Melody woulda tanned mah hide.”

“No doubt.” Nix nodded in agreement. “So you’re all going to build somewhere closer to other ponies?”

“Yup. Figured this was safer. Everypony just wants to start over and try to move forward. Ya do the same. Ya hear?” Strong said to him, his voice firm.

“I know. I have. I’m gonna work on research and development and other projects.” He replied.

“Tha’ Princess mentioned that and Ah’m glad ta hear ya sound happy about it.”

“Yeah. I always liked it so I figured I might as well go for it.”

“Good lad.” He replied and clapped the midnight Unicorn on the shoulder. “Ya better say goodbye to the others afore we head out.” He said and pointed back behind him.

“Thanks.” Nix said and moved past him to the others.

Nix moved among the others and hugged as many as he could before they began to ready to leave. He stepped back and watched as they looked to their own wagons and supplies. “On your right.” Kahl said to him and he looked to find Gemmed slowly coming over to him. He trotted to her and wrapped his forelegs around her.

“You’re going to leave us?” She said as she sat down and hugged him tightly to her.

“Yeah. I’m glad that you’re going with them, though.” He said to her.

“Why?”

“You’ll help them. You can protect them now.” He said to her.

“But I’m not you.” She replied.

“I would hope not. That would be weird.” He laughed and she released him to look back at him. “You’re different from me and that’s good. You can help them in other ways. I don’t mean for you to chase away monsters and stuff like that. But you’re smart and clever. You can help them with other things that I know nothing about. I know some politics but you could run circles around me.” He praised her and she smiled a little at his words. “It’s your turn to shine.”

She smiled and he pulled her to her hooves as Strong hollered for her to hurry up and join them. He tipped his horn to the wagons and she threw her forelegs around him one last time before running to catch up with them. Nix waved them goodbye and watched as they vanished out the main gates. He sat down and stared at where they had been for several minutes before he looked to the ground and was still.

“You did everything for them and they will not forget that. Just as you will not forget them.” Kahl whispered to him. “You gave them the greatest of gifts.”

“Which was?”

“A future.” Kahl said to him.

Nix was quiet as Kahl’s words went over him and a smile slowly came to his muzzle. He stood up and brushed himself off as a bellowed shout earned his attention.

“ARISEN PHOENIX!”

He looked up as Princess Luna bellowed his name. A groan pulled from him and he broke into a trot to reach her. “Princess Luna?”

“We are to tell thee that the arrangements for your accommodations have been made and we will now join my sister for lunch.” She said to him and spun to lead him back into the castle.

“Great.” He forced a smile onto his mouth and followed her inside.

6: Reconnect...

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Phoenix watched as the ponies that were carrying his things set them into a large moving van. He didn’t say anything unless something began to fall and he hollered and pointed frantically. He was pretty sure the ugly looks he was getting for him not using his magic. He had been on the receiving end of a scolding from Kahl for using it once already and the dragon had banned it unless they were dying or he deemed it needed. He had agreed as the dragon had admitted to having the ability to stop his magic if he was so inclined. Nix had decided to just not use it in the face of the dragon’s threat.

He was glad to be leaving Canterlot that morning after an awkward lunch and dinner with the Princesses. He was eager to get out of the city and get started on the next part of his life. He glanced to the chariot that held some of his other belongings and a few of the projects he had chosen and wanted to look into sooner. Furniture and other items were being provided so all he had to worry about was items that he liked and food. That was easy enough for him to worry about and he was hoping that he could slink into town without too much drama and just remain in the background.

He waited and they finished loading in short order and he was quiet as he regarded the courtyard one last time. He trotted to the chariot and jumped to land inside it and waited as the Pegasus waited for him to be settled and waited as he nodded to them to signal that he was ready. He looked over the side as the chariot ponies took to the air gently to avoid jostling his things. His eyes widened at the height and a smile went over his mouth as the ground fell away.

“Hey Kahl!”

“Yes?”

“We are flying!” He replied to the dragon’s attention, making sure to stay standing.

He could hear a pleased sound from the dragon as he made sure to stay standing up and let the wind go over them. He would have to let him know that he used to have a thing against heights but he didn’t feel that same fear right now. He felt better with the dragon with him, even if it was not in body. The Unicorn was quiet as they closed the distance to Ponyville quickly and the miles fell away.

Nix was quiet as the Pegasus slowed down in the air. One of them looked back to him and Nix looked to him. “Sir! We will land behind the house for you.”

“Thank you!” Nix shouted back and sat back and waited.

The chariot landed gently behind a small one story house. one-storyd still and jumped from the chariot once it came to a stop. He reached into the chariot and pulled out the key that the Princess had given him before he left and opened the back door to allow them to move things into the house. He would use the basement for the projects and keep them out of sight. As the guards moved things into the house they went down the basement stairs and set the boxes against the far wall and he thanked them for their help as they hitched back to the chariot and bid him good bye. The midnight Unicorn was quiet as the ponies left him behind and he walked into the house, closing the door behind him. He looked around and the house was an open floorplan so he could see into the kitchen and down a back hallway to his room.

“How was the flight?” He asked Kahl aloud.

“It was refreshing. Perhaps one day we can find a way to do that more often.” Kahl replied.

“You sound pretty pleased.”

“It has been a while since I was able to feel the high winds. I admit it was a nice change.” He replied.

“Good. I wasn’t sure if you were paying attention so I figured I would tell you.”

“Well done. I was not paying direct attention so the warning was appreciated. It was refreshing.”

“That’s good to hear. So let’s look at what we have, shall we?”

“Lets.” The dragon replied and Nix took them on a tour of the house.

“Okay, so the kitchen and the living spaces are all open to each other. That’s convenient.” He said and kept walking. “And there are the stairs to the basement, oh a really thick door, nice.” He said and walked past a guest room and into the back room. “Holy shit. Now, this is a Master Bedroom.”

Nix stared at the king-size bed in the center of the back wall. An accent wall of old reclaimed wood sat on the back wall and he whistled at it as he walked into the room. He stood at the foot of the bed and still had plenty of room to turn around. The end of the bed was several feet from the closet door and he gently slid it open to reveal a long and wide walk-in closet. He stared and backed up out of its doorway.

“Not a chance in hell I could ever fill that.” He said to the dragon who chuckled in reply. “Okay next room.” Nix opened the next room to reveal a huge bathroom with a modern walk-in shower.

“When was this home built?” Kahl asked.

“I have no idea. This place has the same kind of showers that the palace has but most residential homes don’t.” He replied. “Not gonna complain though. Those things are sweet.” He said and closed the bathroom door as he left the room and closed that door as well.

“Well. It appears you will be in the form of luxury as well as doing a job you enjoy.” Kahl said to him as he walked down the hallway.

“I know!” Nix nearly yelled as the realization that he was being allowed to live in a nice house and do his experiments and research as he liked. “I can do the projects for a few days, turn in my findings as I go and enjoy this place. I am not sure if I should be joyful about it though.”

“You have reason to be pleased. No pony will blame you for that.” Kahl assured him.

“Cool. Plug your ears then.” Nix advised as he stood in the center of the front room.

“Gods.” Kahl cursed as the stallion looked to make sure the windows were covered.

“YES!!” He yelled and allowed himself to buck and prance in place at his good fortune. He reared up and danced in place as a knock sounded from the front door. “Dammit.”

“Thank the Gods.” Kahl chuckled as the stallion.

Nix grumbled and unlocked the front door and opened it wide. He blinked at the widely smiling bright pink pony at his doorstep. She smiled at him as he waited for her to speak to him. When she stood and said nothing as she stared at him.

“Creepy.” He said to Kahl who seemed to agree. “Hi?”

“HI!” She shouted at him.

Nix startled and backed up a step at her shout. He recovered and looked to her. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Pinkie Pie.” She finally spoke in a normal tone. “I saw those Pegasus bring you into town so I came to say hello. Welcome to Ponyville.”

“Thanks. I’m Phoenix.” He replied and reached a hoof out to her.

She took his hoof and shook it frantically and he gently pulled away from her after several seconds. He was silent as she kept staring at him with a wide smile. He was about to speak more when a voice called out.

“Pinkie!”

He looked past her as a familiar mare came forward. She paused at the sight of him and a smile crossed her muzzle. Twilight trotted toward him and joined the exuberant pink mare. Several other mares followed her and a baby dragon sat on the purple mares back.

“Phoenix. Oh wow, it’s been a few years.” She said to him.

“It’s nice to see you too, Twilight. It’s been a while.” He said back to her.

“Princess Celestia sent me a letter to tell me that you were coming to town. She didn’t say why you came here, but I’m glad to see you.” She went on.

He nodded as she spoke to him. “Be polite.” Kahl spoke to him and he gave a weak smile.

“Oh, these are my friends,” Twilight said to him. “You already met Pinkie Pie.” She said and pointed to the pink mare still on his doorstep. “This is Rarity.” She indicated a light grey almost white mare and she gave him a polite nod and he returned the gesture. “This is Fluttershy.” She turned to a butter yellow Pegasus mare who smiled shyly to him. “This is Applejack.” She indicated to the orange mare behind her who tipped her hat to the midnight blue stallion. He looked at her and smiled. “And above you is Rainbow Dash.” He looked up and regarded the hovering Pegasus mare. Her light blue fur paled next to her vibrant rainbow mane. He regarded her and she finally landed with the others as Spike came forward. “And this is my assistant Spike.” She said and the baby dragon nodded to him with a weak wave of one clawed hand.

“Nice to meet all of you.” He said to them with a smile. “I’m glad to see that Twilight made some friends as Celestia said.” He said to them and they all smiled in reply.

“Would you care to get a late lunch with us, darling?” Rarity asked him.

“Umm…I have a ton of unpacking to do. Otherwise, I would but I need to make sure the movers can get around later this afternoon. So I need to stay close by.” He replied. “But thank you for the kind offer.” He replied to her.

“Fair enough.” The mare replied.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked him.

“Yeah. Thanks anyway.”

“Okay. Maybe next time?”

“Yeah. Definitely.” He said to the purple unicorn and watched as they moved away from him. Pinkie looked back to him and then to the others.

“It’s fine. Not like he’s alone.” She said to them and they all shook their heads and smiled at her.

“Huh?” Nix managed as he stared at her.

“Did she just…?” Kahl said to him.

“Umm…I’m not sure. Maybe she heard me talking out loud to you?”

“Perhaps.” Kahl replied, his voice uncertain.

“That was a bit scary.” He whispered as he closed the door and locked it tightly.

“I agree. Was disconcerting, to say the least.” Kahl replied.

Nix walked to the back door and locked it out of a new sense of paranoia and sat down on the plush couch in the front room. He let himself sit heavily into the furniture but soon was back on his hooves as his mind went over the interaction with the others.

“Okay, I am officially creeped out.” He finally admitted as he spoke out loud in a whisper.

“It is all right. Some have a higher awareness but she did not seem to have any details and in time perhaps she will grow to ignore it.” Kahl reasoned to him as the stallion paced. “Plus they did not seem to give her words much concern. Perhaps it is simply something that she says at times.”

“So just something weird about her?”

“Precisely. If it bothers you then we can work on hiding our magical signature and that will keep anypony from sensing that I am with you as well.”

“Yes, please. That made me hella nervous. We need to make sure that nopony can find us.” He replied. “I mean that they can’t sense you are here as well. I would rather they just think that it’s just me in here, no ancient dragons.”

“Very well. I advise that we begin to work on first changing your magic to where it works with mine as well. Right now they are separate and that is causing a strain on both of us to an extent.” Kahl reasoned to him.

“So it’s hurting you?”

“In a sense but there is no pain to speak of. Its simple strain.” Kahl assured him.

“Okay. Sounds good to me. That will also us to hide you?” Nix replied.

“Yes. That is the first step. With our power divided it makes it easy to slip up and reveal our paw.”

“Exactly. I don’t want to put you in danger of being found out. Hasn’t been very long but I’m kinda attached to you.”

Kahl chuckled. “Agreed.”

“Basement?” Nix said aloud.

“For now no. You were not wrong about needing to be available should they arrive. Much of your items need to be moved down to the basement anyway, correct?”

“Yeah. A lot of lab equipment.” Nix agreed and sat back down on the couch to wait.

Kahl was quiet as the stallion finally calmed and Kahl allowed him to doze off as the dragon was silent. He knew that the Unicorn had become attached to him and Kahl had to admit the young stallion had grown on him. While he missed many things of being in his own form he did not regret his choice to save the pony. A Pact could save lives so long as there were magic and blood to exchange. Many died in the exchange and most did not last the next several days due to the Pacts exchange. Kahl was quiet as the pony slid from the seated position and curled up on the couch cushion.

Kahl sighed and allowed the pony to sleep, knowing that it was caused by the strain that went through both of them. As he had no physical body to be taxed the dragons spirit was being used until they could meld their magic and that would alleviate the exhaustion being placed on both of them. The dragon did not mind keeping the strain to himself as Nix rested. They would begin to work on it later that evening and soon the strain would be removed from both of them. Kahl rested in the only way a spirit was able to by pushing himself to the far end of the ponies mind and thereby allowing his own reserves to replenish and keep them both going for the time being.

It would take several days for them to merge their power and allow Nix to use Kahl’s power as well as his own. It would also allow Kahl to act in Nix’s defense should the need arise. At the moment he could warn the pony but he could not act in his stead. The Elemental Dragon was not sure what power he would be able to excise in the moment or how much the ponies body would be able to handle. He was aware that he would be monitoring the magic and the flux and cost of using it as it happened. He chuckled as the pony shifted in his sleep and wavered on the edge of the couch.

“You fall and I will laugh at you.” Kahl called out to him.

“Huh?” Nix yelped as he fell to the floor and looked around him.

Kahl chuckled at his confusion as he crawled to his hooves and jumped back to the couch and sat back down. “Yeah, I earned that laugh from you.” The stallion replied.

“You can go back to napping if you choose.” Kahl said to him.

“Yeah. Probably will.” He agreed and laid down on the couch to avoid falling off it again. “Thanks, Kahl.”

“Of course.”

Kahl allowed the stallion to drift back off to sleep as he considered where to start with Nix’s training. The young Unicorn had expressed a way to hide Kahl’s own magical signature. While he understood the ponies desire to protect him he was more concerned with merging their power and allowing the pony to grow accustomed to the dragons own magic. Without proper training, the merging of two entirely different magic’s could be disastrous. The dragon remained quiet as he continued to consider the stallion’s abilities and how to aid him in developing them further. He had to admit that Nix was far above most ponies his age in his skill and thinking. His ability to get that small gemstone from before to act as a storage device was quite clever and the dragon had been impressed with it. While the length of time had been a disappointment he understood that it had been a start to a method, not the end result. A loud knock on the front door broke through his own thoughts.

“They are here.” He said to the stallion who awoke at his voice.

“Thanks,” Nix replied and stood up, stretching his back as it popped.

He went to the front door and found the moving van’s crew waiting for him and he smiled at the sight of them. “Glad you guys made it okay.”

“Not too difficult.” One replied and began to signal for them to begin unloading. “Pretty easy to find as well. Saw this house for sale a few weeks ago and then it sold in a day. Heard it was newly renovated. So you were the buyer?”

“Nah. I work for the Princess and she set me up here,” Nix replied and moved out of the way for the movers.

“Nice.” He replied and moved aside as well. “You know the deal guys. Put it in the right place.”

“Most of it is going downstairs to the basement,” Nix explained to him. “But some of it should be labeled otherwise.”

“Yeah. The labels are really specific so that will make this quick and easy.” The other replied and began to instruct the others as they passed him, depending on the labels on the boxes.

“That’s a lot of equipment. What job do you do?”

“Research and development,” Nix replied and watched as the boxes were moved.

“Ahh. That fancy magic stuff?”

“Pretty much,” Nix replied through a chuckle.

“Yeah, that stuff is out of my pay grade.” He joked.

“Some of it is for me as well,” Nix replied. “But it’s a challenge and that’s what gets me interested in it.”

“Well. Least you understand some of it. I’d look into some of these and be more confused than helped.”

“It depends on the box,” Nix admitted. “A few of them I’ll have to research first before I tackle anything.”

“Long as ya like your job I guess.”

“Exactly.”

Nix stayed out of the way as they moved and he cringed at the sheer volume of boxes that were being set in their places. “Have to admit I’m more than just a little happy about the house coming already mostly furbished.” Nix admitted to the dragon.

“I agree. That would have caused more than a few issues with a timeframe.” He replied.

“How much time do you think you will need to teach me how to merge our magic?”

“We cannot delay too much longer. Too long will cause physical damage to your body.”

“How much longer until that happens?”

“A day or less.” Kahl admitted.

“Oh shit.” He replied. “Okay so tonight? After they leave?”

“Agreed. Are they going to be setting up your laboratory or are you going to need to do that?”

“Oh.” Nix approached the basement and went down the stairs as a sigh of relief escaped him at the sight of a pony setting everything up for him. “Awesome.” He spoke aloud and the pony looked back to him. “Sorry. I was just glad to see things getting set up.”

“Oh. The Princess sent me along to get it set up for you.” She replied.

“I really appreciate it.” He said to her as he turned around on the steps. “How long do you need?”

“I will be leaving the boxes labeled project one through twenty on the back wall over there.” She pointed and he nodded in understanding. “I should be able to finish this before dinner.” She explained.

“Oh perfect. Thank you again.” Nix said to her, a wide smile on his muzzle.

“Not a problem.” She replied and went back to work.

Nix trotted up the stairs and quickly got out of the way of the moving team once more. “That answers that.”

“Did you pick out twenty?” Kahl asked.

Nix was quiet as he thought it over. “I don’t think so, actually. Maybe that’s just how many boxes there are?”

“I suppose that could be the reasoning.” Kahl admitted and went quiet.

The midnight Unicorn stayed in the kitchen as they moved things into place and began to unload some items for him. He remained in the back and waited to be called on. He could feel a sense of anxiety creeping up on him at the sight of so many ponies that he didn’t know in the house but he worked to ignore the feeling. His vibrant blue eyes scanned them and the items they were placed around the house. He hadn’t noticed that the house didn’t have any décor items as they moved them into place under his watch. He watched as several boxes were being taken to the bedrooms and he followed them, the sense of anxiety slowly getting stronger. He watched as one pony went into the extra bedroom with two boxes balanced on his back and the others went into his room.

They looked up as he came in and he tried to look friendly as they began to unload the extra furnishings and, to his surprise, several outfits for wear if he needed them. A suit and other formal items were placed in the closet with casual clothes and other small items. One of them opened another box and trotted into the bathroom and he peeked his head into the bathroom to watch them. He backed up as a tap to his shoulder nearly put him through the ceiling.

“Sorry. That box had this note in it for you.” The pony said to him and held out the letter.

Nix tried to smile through the anxiety and took the letter from him. He opened it slowly and backed up to stay out of the way.

Phoenix:
I added some clothing that I trust will be needed at some points in the future. If it does not fit please send it back and I will have it replaced with the correct sizes. Or to make it easier on you, Twilight’s friend Rarity runs a dress shop locally and she can also tailor or repair anything you need. The house should be furnished with the large items, such as the bed and appliances, I have included many small items to help decorate and if you do not like them please send them back. If Twilight knows a local business then please take them there instead. Whatever method is easiest for you. Thank you again for taking these projects on and please do not feel that you are on any deadline to finish them. I prefer quality work instead of fast. Mistakes can be made and I would prefer that you be as meticulous as you feel you need to be. Please enjoy your time and feel free to experience Ponyville and I hope to hear that you are settling in well and are comfortable.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna
P.S. If you wish to communicate quickly I have asked Twilight if she would be okay with you asking Spike to send simple letters back to me. Anything that is more than that would need to be sent via the normal channels. Try to have some fun as well!

Nix looked up as the ponies left his bedroom carrying the broken down boxes with them. He trailed after them on three legs and tried to keep himself calm as the sight of so many ponies in the front room and kitchen set him on edge.

“Kahl?”

“Hmm?”

“Little help.”

“Are you okay?”

“No. I think I’m going to have an anxiety attack.” He admitted.

“Understood.”

He could feel a warmth go over him as the dragon used his own sense of calm to ease the mind of the anxiety-ridden stallion. He breathed out a shaky breath as his breathing calmed and he could feel a sense of calm go over him and he looked up to find them still working.

“Better?”

“Much. Thanks. Sorry about that.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. We all have things that we are not comfortable with. You just happen to fear large crowds of unknown ponies.” Kahl reasoned to him.

Kahl’s tone was calm and assured and Nix could feel himself calming further at the Dragons voice. Nix could feel his breathing even out and he sighed and leaned back on his haunches and watched calmly as they worked.

“When did this begin?” Kahl asked him, gently.

“That’s a fair question.” Nix chuckled as he thought about it. “I was in grade school I think. I was not the most popular pony so I got picked on quite a bit. I started to dread school and eventually, it affected my grades and my parents went nuts. They lost it on the teacher and his response was to isolate me in the classroom during breaks and I started to get really upset in crowds and just learned to avoid them. Didn’t get better as I got older, I just learned to melt into the walls and stay away from ponies.”

“Not the best way to grow up.” Kahl replied.

“Not really. I didn’t have friends because it freaked me out so bad and my parents were on me at all times to succeed. So I just dove into my studies and nothing else mattered.”

“Well you have improved since then.”

“How do you figure?”

“They are still in the room and you haven’t descended into a panic.” Kahl reasoned. “We will work on it over time. You may never be fully comfortable with the crowds but we can work on coping skills to help you to handle it in a healthy way.”

“Okay. Yeah, that sounds good. I don’t want to lean on you all the time.”

“I am here regardless. We will work on this just like we will work on your aversion to fire. All things in time.”

“Yeah still not looking forward to that.” Nix chuckled. “But I will try.”

“That is all I ask.”

Nix watched them over the next couple hours and they asked him about the placement of some items and he did his best to help them out.

“Excuse me. I’m gonna need your help.”

Nix looked to the basement door as the mare who was setting it up motioned for him to join her. He followed her down the stairs and into the basement. His eyes widened at the laboratory that stretched out before him. “Holy shit.” He whispered.

“I need you to code this thing.”

“Code?” He replied, his expression uncertain.

“Yeah. Place your hoof there.” She pointed and he did as she told him. “Okay so this will store any recordings and any materials you think need extra protection. Only you can open it. Now we can secure it further if you want to.”

“How do we do that?”

“Your magic,” She replied.

He glanced to his horn and nodded to her. “Do I need to bring magic onto it or?”

“Nope. Just slide your horn in there.” She pointed to a recessed section of the small vault and he did as she said and stayed still as the lock clicked down on his horn.

“Okay, so this will recognize your magical signature and will allow you to add extra security. If material is really valuable you can set it in here and enable the one lock or both and it will remain locked till you open it.” She explained.

Nix waited as the lock disengaged and he was able to pull his head back and he watched as the locks inside the safe engaged. He could hear them clicking closed and he glanced to her. “Wow. I have to admit that is really cool.”

“It’s state of the art. It’s the main reason I came to set everything up. Whatever you’re working on must be really important. The Princess demanded this come along.” She explained.

“Some of it could be I guess.” He replied with a shrug.

Nix glanced to the back wall where the boxes sat and he looked to her with a casual shrug. She smiled and walked up to the stairs with him. He paused outside the basement door and closed it behind him. His mind wandered to the locks in the basement and he waited as they began to finish up in the living room and kitchen. He trotted to them and watched as they broke down the remaining boxes and carried them outside. The midnight Unicorn followed them and they began to pack up and the back of the van was shut with a resounding sound.

“All right.” The lead pony came up to him. “Yer all set. Thanks for letting us do our thing. We appreciated that you tried to stay out of the way. Most homeowners are not that polite.”

Nix chuckled. “I didn’t figure that barking at any of you would be a good idea. I want you to help me versus being pissed at me.”

“Not the most common way of thinking. So thank you again and have a good night.”

“You too. Safe return.” Nix said to him as they finished up and pulled away from him, leaving him in front of the house, alone.

“Your place is settled now, Nix.” Kahl said to him.

“Yeah.” He said aloud as they vanished around a corner.

He turned back to the house to go inside when a loud whistle caught his attention. He looked up as a familiar Pegasus came to hover close to him. She smiled at him as she dropped down to the ground close to him.

“You do know that it’s rude to whistle like that, right?” Nix said to her.

“Sorry.” She replied. “It got your attention though.”

“Yeah. But it also made me not like you very much.” He explained.

“Okay, I’m sorry. The others should be here in a second.” She said to him.

Nix looked past the rainbow mare as Twilight and the others joined her. He looked to the purple Unicorn, his expression questioning as she smiled to him.

“Sorry to bother you again, Phoenix. But I figured since you probably haven’t eaten that we would invite you to dinner, our treat.” She explained to him.

He opened his mouth to decline when his stomach betrayed him. He grimaced as they chuckled and he looked to the house behind him. “Let me check the locks and I’ll join you out here.”

“Ya lock your doors?” Applejack said to him.

“You don’t?” He said to her and she shrugged. “Well. I‘m a bit paranoid.” He replied and went back to the house.

“Are you going to be okay?” Kahl asked him.

“Should be fine. It’s just them and if it gets bad can you back me up?” Nix asked the dragon.

“Not a problem.” Kahl assured him as the Unicorn locked the back doors.

“I really want my magic back so I can lock all the windows too.”

“In time.”

He came back outside and locked the front door with a twist of a key. He looked around to find a place to hide the key. “Crap.”

“A little magic is fine.” Kahl assured him. “Send it into the house to avoid having to place it into separate pocket storage.”

His horn lit and the key was sent back to the house so he could summon it to him later. “Okay, lead on.” He said to the group and they smiled and walked with him into town.

Twilight stood on his right and she began to point out businesses as they walked. He took note of a few of them as they approached a small restaurant. He sniffed the air and the smell of burgers reached his nose. Phoenix liked to think of himself as an omnivore so he had no problem eating a wide variety of foods. The outside was pink in color and the roof looked like it was made of straw but he chose not to judge it by the outside. A billboard above it showed a large burger and he managed not to run into the building as his stomach snarled once more. Pinkie bounced up to the door and opened the door with a bowing flourish that Nix couldn’t’ help but chuckle at.

“Thanks.” He said to her as he walked into the restaurant.

The others stayed close to him as he looked up to the menu above the counter. He scanned the menu and found that there were no meat burgers but he ignored that and looked to the others.

“So what’s good?” He asked them.

“Most anything is really good,” Twilight replied to him. “What do you like?”

“I eat just about anything.” He replied. “Right now I’m contemplating chewing on the counter. I’m starving.”

“I usually get the hay burger and fries,” Twilight said to him and he nodded.

“Hmm.” He looked over it again and looked to the stallion behind the counter. “I’ll take number three.” He said and the stallion nodded as Twilight stepped forward next.

“And I will have a number four.” She said and waited as the total was rung up. She paid for their meals and they stepped aside to wait for it to be called.

“Thanks for the meal.” He said to her.

“Not a problem. It’s really nice to see you again. It’s been…four years?”

“Five.” He replied to her.

“Oh yeah. Your right. I was really surprised not to see you for the next four years at school.” She said to him as the stallion at the counter looked to her and pushed their meals toward the end of the counter. Her magic picked it up and she looked to the others. “Hey girls?” They glanced at her. “I’ll get the big booth for us to sit together, okay?”

“Sounds good Twi.” Applejack replied and went back to order.

“So where’s Spike?” He asked her. He was trying to steer away from the reason he didn’t go to school with her.

“Oh, he went back to the Library. He was up early with me this morning so I think he was pretty worn out.

“Ahh. Poor guy stuck with your early morning schedule.” He teased her.

She flushed a bit at his teasing and slid into the booth first and he slid in after her. She gave him his food and they waited for the others to join them.

“So how long are you staying?” She asked him while they waited.

He picked up his burger and looked to her. “Until further notice.” He replied and bit into his food.

“So you’re staying?”

He nodded through the bite of food in his mouth. The hay burger was crunchy and he swallowed as Applejack and Pinkie joined them. He licked his lips and bit into it once more. The others got settled and the rest joined them at the table. Applejack sat next to him and the others slid into the booth as well.

“So how long have you known Twilight?” Rarity asked him politely as she settled into her seat.

“Met her in school.” He replied.

“OH! At Celestia’s school?” Pinkie asked.

Nix nodded and chewed his food. He glanced around them at the other ponies around and he pushed the bit of anxiety to the back of his mind while telling himself that he knew the six ponies around him so he would be fine. He finished his burger and focused on the conversation while chewing on his fries.

“So why didn’t you come to the advanced courses?” Twilight asked him.

He managed not to flinch at her question and looked to the others before replying. “I decided to travel instead.” He explained.

“Oh, that sounds fun.” Pinkie said to him.

“It was an experience.” He replied.

“For five years?” Twilight said to him.

“Yeah. I just kept going and was enjoying it so I just didn’t go back.” He replied.

“Ya must have been all over Equestria in that time.” Applejack said to him.

“Not everywhere, but pretty close.” He said to her.

“You must have seen a lot of animals,” Fluttershy said to him.

“Yeah. The normal ones mostly, but I spent the last couple of years in the same place and dealt more with the Everfree’s creatures than normal ones.” He replied to her observation.

“What was the most recent?” Rainbow questioned. “Did you see giant snakes, manticore, or other stuff?”

He thought back as Kahl spoke up. “I would try to avoid the dragons if possible.”

“A Manticore got too close to the town so I drove it off.” He replied. “So that was the most recent that I dealt with on my own.”

“By yerself?” Applejack spoke up.

“Yeah. Wasn’t too bad. Just chased it off.” He explained.

“That’s pretty cool,” Rainbow said to him. “So why were you there?”

“I owed them a debt.” He replied.

“Like a bunch of bits?” Pinkie asked.

“No. They helped me out when I needed it and I decided to stick around the pay them back.” He explained. “I know it cost them a bit to help me but they never told me how much. So I stayed to protect them.”

“That’s pretty nice of ya. Most wouldn’t do that.” The orange mare said to him. “So how come ya stopped?”

Nix went quiet and he sat back in the booth. He looked to the others and they were staring at him, waiting for him to reply. “Not needed anymore.”

The farm mare took the hint and dropped it with a nod of understanding. “Well, ya are welcome in Ponyville. It’s good ta see a new face.”

“Thanks.” He replied and chewed on a few fries.

“We are more than happy to have you join our town Phoenix.” Rarity said to him.

“Thank you for the warm welcome.” He said to her as he ate his fries.

“So are you from Canterlot as well?” Fluttershy asked him.

“Yeah. Born and raised.” He responded.

“Did you stop to see your parent’s?” Twilight asked him.

“Nah. Ran out of time. Princess Celestia was going to send something to them so she was going to let them know.” He replied, hoping that would stop any further questions.

“Oh, that was kind of her.” Rarity replied.

“Princess Celestia said that she gave you a test to make sure that you could do the research for her,” Twilight said to him.

“Yeah. Was the final test to uhm… graduate her advanced courses.” He supplied.

“Oh wow. And you passed?” He nodded at her question and Twilight smiled widely at him. “That’s awesome, Phoenix. That test was hard and a lot of ponies didn’t pass it.”

“She mentioned that.” He said to her. “It was pretty cool to hear I passed without any formal teaching.”

“Well done, darling.” Rarity praised him.

“Thanks.” He accepted the praise from them as they spoke.

They all slowly finished their meals and threw away the trash to help the workers to have less to clean. They left the restaurant behind and began to walk back into town. He ignored the look twilight gave her friends and looked to him once more.

“You could come over and meet with Spike for a little bit. I know you met him for a little bit, but I think he would like to know that he can go to you as another friend. He’s around all of us normally.” She explained.

“So he will have a guy friend?” He replied.

“Exactly,” Twilight said to him with a nod.

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

They smiled as they led him down the streets of Ponyville. He looked up as the silhouetted of a large tree loomed ahead of them.

“What the hell?”

“That’s the Golden Oak Library. I live there with Spike.” Twilight explained.

“Oh. That is right up your alley.” He said to her and she nodded.

“It’s a wonderful place. You can come over anytime if you need a book.”

“Cool. Thanks for that. I brought a bunch with me, but I know that I will need others.” He replied.

The purple Unicorn smiled and they opened the front door for him. It was dark inside and he walked in as the door behind him closed. His eyes gave off a slight glow in the dark and he looked around for a light switch. “Bloody hell it's dark. Twilight?”

The lights came on, blinding him and he closed his eyes at the sudden assault. Vibrant blue orbs opened to find a horde of pony’s inside the library. He stared as they all screamed welcome to him.

“Oh no.” Kahl’s voice sounded out dully in his mind.

7: Hiding and Apologies...

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Anxiety tore through him at the sight of so many unknown ponies. His vision narrowed as he stood in shocked stillness. His breathing nearly stopped at the sight before him and he said nothing as they went quiet to allow him to speak. His horn lit with his magic, sparks of fire coming from it, and he threw the door open and galloped out of the library. His hooves thundered over the dirt road as he panted, panic gripped him as he ran.

“Nix.”

He could hear Kahl’s voice but it was faded and he ignored it as he ran. He slowed to a stop as he looked around him. “Oh no.” He could feel his body shaking as the fact that he had no idea where he was, bit into him as deep as the panic coursing through his body. His body shook as he nearly collapsed in place.

“Go left.” Kahl instructed him.

Phoenix did as he was told and galloped blindly ahead.

“Right.”

Kahl’s voice slowly got through to him as he ran and he could see the house in front of him. He didn’t even notice his horn light up with a blast of red flame as the door opened, allowing him to run inside. He faintly heard it slam closed behind him, the lock clicking into place.

“Basement.” Kahl said to him as he ran inside, gripped the basement door and threw it open.

He nearly fell down the stairs as he reached the bottom and paused as he searched for a spot to hide. He jumped into a corner and curled up into a ball and tried not to break in hysterics. He hid his face under his forelegs and panted.

“Easy.” Kahl said to him. “You’re safe. It will be all right.” He tried to force his own calm onto the stallion, but he found that Nix was too far gone for the dragon’s words to reach him.

“Damn.” Kahl’s cursed as he tried to think of a way to calm the nearly hysterical Unicorn.

He reached out with the senses he had to see the layout of the room and he could sense an unused table close to him and the Unicorns horn lit as blue flame covered the table and dragged it until it was sitting over the pony, placing him into a deeper rkness. His senses found what felt like a large moving blanket and it was thrown over the top of the table and Kahl gave a quiet pant as the effort of forcing his own power to go through the Unicorn’s horn, without harming him, was tiring. He went forward anyway and found another blanket and dragged it under the table to toss over the top of the Unicorn. He stopped and sighed as he focused on the trembling pony.

“Nix.” He said to him.

He could hear the pony panting and whimpering as he began to slowly calm down. Kahl could see through his eyes as the pony peeked out from under his legs and saw the pitch darkness and the blanket over him. He hid behind his legs once more but he was not trembling as much as before. Kahl gently pushed against the still obvious panic and slowly edged his own feeling of calm onto the Unicorns mind. He didn’t dare push too hard for fear of harming him and making it worse.

“It’s okay. I am here.” Kahl tried to reassure him.

He could sense the Unicorn slowly calming as time went on. Kahl estimated it had been over an hour since they had fled the Library. He was more than a bit relieved when they hadn’t followed them immediately.

“Phoenix.”

“Hmm...”

A strangled sound came from the Unicorn in reply and Kahl had to fight back a relieved sigh at the sound. “You’re not alone. I am here with you.” He said to the still upset pony.

“Kahl?” He whispered.

“It’s okay. You’re safe and you’re at home.” He said to him, seeking to calm him further.

The pony sniffled and slowly uncoiled from the near fetal position he had fallen into. He stayed low to the ground as he began to calm further. “How did I get a blanket on me?” He finally asked aloud.

“I could sense the room around us and moved it over you to help calm you. There is also a table with another blanket over you. I hoped that making the world around you smaller would help to make it less overwhelming.” The dragon reasoned. “Did it help?”

“Yeah. I feel better.” He admitted. “How did you move it? Wait, you opened the front door as well?”

“Yes. I can use my own magic to an extent but I had to force it through your horn. I apologize if you end up with a headache later from it. But it was to ensure that you were made to feel safe and in a place that is yours.”

“Thanks.” The Unicorn said to him.

Nix sat up and pushed the table away and set both blankets on top of it. He sat back down in the dark basement and was silent as he sniffled and rubbed his eyes. “Oh man.”

“It’s all right.” Kahl reassured him.

“I haven’t lost it like that in a long time.”

“It happens. No one can blame you for it. That was a shock to both of us. I was not ready for that many ponies to be hidden inside what looks like a very small space.”

“You and me both. All I could see was how many of them were staring at me and it felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore.” Nix said as the memory caused him to start shaking in place.

“I know.”

Nix latched onto the dragon’s constant presence and allowed himself to fall back to his belly and lay still. He closed his eyes and waited to stop shaking. “I‘m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You’re attached to a basket case.”

Kahl laughed in his mind and Nix could feel the warmth of the dragons own mind going over him. “We all have our issues. No one is perfect, Nix. I do not expect you to be flawless. Simply talk to me when it starts to become too much.”

“Done.” He replied and sat up once more. “I just really was not…ready for that.”

“I don’t think they were ready either.”

“What do you mean?”

“The looks from Twilight and her friends were quite concerned when you spun around, threw open the door and fled into the dark.”

“Oh no. I need to apologize to them.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Surprise parties are not for everyone. Some of us do not like them. I admit that I am not the biggest fan either. While I admire their desire to help you to meet your new neighbors there should have been time left to allow you to settle in. You have not even been in this town for twelve hours.”

“That’s true. I would prefer a smaller gathering if they insist on one.”

“I agree. It was a large shock to your mind when the lights came on and they are all there in the one room to try to greet you all at once.”

“That was terrifying.”

Kahl chuckled in the back of his mind. “It is past now and you’re safe. We can let it go. If you wish we can delay merging our magic to allow you to recover overnight.”

“No. I said that we could do it and we will. An anxiety attack isn’t going to change it.” Nix replied and stood up, his muscles trembled as he stood. He gathered his strength as he breathed in and released the breath he had been holding.

“If you think you’re all right.”

“I’m okay. Just needed a bit to calm down.”

Kahl gave an assenting noise as Nix moved through the room and pushed the table back into place. Nix slowly moved things out of the way to allow for him to work under Kahl’s instruction. “So can we start to work on your flames here, or should we find someplace else?”

“I would recommend elsewhere. Fire can be a temperamental Element and it is best done in an area that does not burn easily.”

“Great.”

“It will be fine, Nix. Everything in time. I will not be asking you to juggle fireballs on the first lesson.”

“Oh thank Celestia.” He replied with a laugh. “That would probably be worse than this was.”

Kahl chuckled in reply. Nix stood on the center of the space he had made and waited for the dragon to tell him what to do. “Clear your mind.”

“Okay.”

“Reach out to the magic you have within you. Don’t collect it in your horn, just feel it.”

“Got it.”

Nix did as he was told and he focused inward and reached out to the magic that was within his body. He could feel it react to his touch and it crackled within his grip. “Okay.”

“Good. Now push it back.”

“What?” Nix asked, incredulous at the dragon’s words.

“Trust me.”

“Ugh.” The Unicorn reached back out to this magic and pushed it back as far as he could. “Okay.”

“Now I will move mine into that place. When you are ready to reach out to it and hold it close.”

“Right. Is it fire?”

“I am the Element of Fire, Nix. I will try to dampen it as much as I can.” The dragon reasoned.

“Fair enough.”

Nix focused once more and pushed his magic back. He was shocked when his own magic pulled away and in its place was a warmth that he was not ready for. He closed his eyes to focus more fully on his task. He reached out to the power of the dragon and it lashed out at him. He yelped and pulled away.

“Sorry.” Kahl apologized to him.

Nix was about to complain but he could hear the strain in the dragon’s normally strong voice and he closed his eyes once more to focus. He reached back out and the power lashed out but he pushed ahead and used his own mind to hold onto the magic within him. He could feel it shudder and pull away from him but he refused to allow it to leave him. Warmth spread over him once more and he recognized that heat as being similar to what he felt when Kahl reached out to help him. It was calming and protective, but aggressive and dominant as well. He held onto it and waited for the dragon to speak.

“Now I will bring your magic back and I want you to try to hold both.” Kahl explained to him.

“Kay.”

He could feel the magic in his grasp bucking against him as it was pushed from the other side as well. As he held tightly to what was within him the familiar crackle of his own magic edged closer to him and he focused on them both. His own magic edged into his grasp and he tried to hold them both but Kahl’s power lashed out once more and he lost it.

“Damnit.” He cursed as the dragon spoke up.

“You’re rushing. Try to slow down a bit.” Kahl said to him.

“But I know it’s hurting you to hold them both in place.”

“I am fine, Nix. The magic of an Elemental dragon is many things, but patience is not one of them. I am not telling you to try to strong arm it. That won’t work. We have time to work on it. Focus and you will eventually win over it and we will both rest well.” Kahl urged him gently.

Nix could hear the strain in Kahl’s words but he knew that the dragon was acting to protect and encourage him. “Okay. Here we go again.”

“Good. You did well to hold it as long as you did.” Kahl replied.

“Thanks.” Nix focused and pushed his magic away to allow the other to edge into his body and he reached out once more.

Kahl watched as the Unicorn did as he was told and acted to try to merge their power together. Kahl was impressed that he was able to hold it as well as he had so far and he gave advice when needed, but still allowed the Unicorn to work on it on his own. He came close several times but it slipped past him and Kahl could sense that he was becoming frustrated and angry at how long it was taking.

“I’m not stupid, why is this so difficult? He complained. “Okay. That was a rhetorical question.”

“I figured.”

Kahl watched once more as the Unicorn did as he had been told and Kahl would have smiled had he the mouth to accomplish the action. ‘There you go.’ He thought in silence as Nix’s power once more slid into place beside his own. He could hear Nix breathe in as he focused on the task at hoof. Kahl could see the two magic’s being pushed together and he waited as the feel of the combined magic washed over him. It was warm and crackled like a thunderstorm and he was pushed into the back of the Unicorns mind and he felt himself fade as it happened.

Nix opened his eyes as he finally got it right. He didn’t act as he waited for Kahl to speak. His hooves danced under him and he finally laughed out loud. “Kahl I got it! You were right. I just needed to slow down by a lot and it finally worked. You’re a genius!” He shouted and bucked in glee.

He paused and his smile faltered as there was no reply from the dragon. “Kahl?” He spoke aloud once more and waited. His heart sped up a bit as the silence stretched on. His breathing caught as he could only hear silence.

“I’m here.” Kahl finally replied.

“Oh by Faust don’t do that.” He yelped.

“I am sorry about that. I got pushed back by the combination and it took a moment to sort it out.”

Nix paused as he was about to give the dragon grief for the delay but he paused as the other spoke. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. A bit worn, but otherwise in fair shape.” He explained. “You did well.”

“Thanks. So now what?”

“Give it a try.” Kahl encouraged.

“You sure it will be okay?”

“Of course. I would not ask you if I thought it might do you harm.”

“That’s true. Okay, here we go.” Nix looked up as he called on his magic and he startled at the brilliant blue of his aura as sparks of flame covered it as well. “Oh boy.”

“It’s as harmless as your own.” Kahl encouraged. “It is yours as well. It cannot hurt you as it is now yours to command.”

“Okay. Completely harmless?”

“Yes.” Kahl chuckled as he spoke. “Feel free to test it.”

“Oh ha, ha.” He replied and looked to the table ahead of him. “Okay so do I need to be careful of the amount of force I use?”

Kahl barked a laugh as he spoke. “Yes. For now, I would recommend you be cautious. In time it will be become as natural as breathing.”

“Okay. Just checking since the last time I ended up on my face in the dirt.”

“Fair point.”

Nix looked to the blanket on the table and willed his magic to lift it. He startled when it struck the ceiling and fell to the ground. “Damnit.” He cursed under his breath and tried again.

“Probably for the best that you used the blanket.”

“Ya think?” He replied and tried again. He focused on the blanket and gently lifted it in his magic and began to gently fold it. He startled as he gripped it and forced his magic to fold it gently and hold it carefully in his grasp. “This is going to take forever to get right.”

“I doubt that.” Kahl replied. “In time, you won’t even need to think about it.”

“I hope not.” Nix was quiet as he practiced holding the blanket and folding it repeatedly before a wide yawn broke from him. “What time is it?”

“After midnight I believe.” Kahl replied.

“Oh geez. No wonder I’m tired.”

“I would recommend you go to bed then. This exercise can continue tomorrow.” Kahl advised.

“Best idea so far.”

“I will warn you that Twilight and the others were knocking on the door after you fled down here.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were in the midst of a severe anxiety attack and I could barely reach you. I did not deem it necessary to worry about them at that moment. They gave up and left long before you came out of it.” He replied.

“Fair point. Thanks again for that.” He replied and walked up to the stairs.

He came out of the basement and started to walk around the house to check the windows and make sure they were locked. As he walked past the front door he opened it and looked out.

“On the door.” Kahl advised.

Nix looked to the door and saw a written note taped to it. He pulled it off and closed the door, locking it as he held the note in his hooves and flipped it open.

Phoenix,

Are you okay? We are all so sorry that we upset you. Please let us know that you’re okay. I will drop by around noon to make sure you’re okay and apologize to you. We didn’t mean for that to happen.

Twilight

P.S. I am so sorry.

“Can you make sure I’m up before then? If I sleep in?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks. They didn’t hurt me really, just scared the shit out of me.” Nix reasoned as he set the letter on the kitchen table.

“I think to them that is one and the same.” Kahl replied.

“That’s true.”

Nix walked back to his room and got ready for bed. He brushed out his mane and brushed his teeth. He crawled into the huge king bed and laid back on the cool sheets. He gripped the blanket over him and rolled onto his side. His mind went over what had happened and he pushed his head into the pillow and closed his eyes.

“Get some rest Nix.” Kahl voiced to him, his voice calm and warm.

“You too.” Nix replied and tried to sleep.

Phoenix rolled over and he blinked as the suns light hit him in the face and he growled at the brightness. He sat up and rubbed his face with his hooves. He groaned as he stretched his back out and pushed the covers back to allow himself to get up. His hooves hit the hardwood floor and he walked into the bathroom and looked up to the mirror. He rubbed his face once more and looked to the deep scar on his face. He leaned forward and counted himself lucky that nopony had asked about it yet. He was glad that Twilight hadn’t known him well enough to notice that his eyes were different as well.

“It’s not that bad.” Kahl teased him.

He snorted and chuckled. “It was worse on you.”

“That’s true.” Kahl admitted. “But I earned it.”

“Yeah, you can keep it then!” Nix laughed back at him.

“Call it a badge of honor.”

“I’d rather call it a badge of accepting a Pact with a fire loving dragon.” He teased back. “But that’s kind of a long name for it.”

“Very.”

“What time is it?”

“Around ten, I think.”

“Cool thanks. Time for breakfast.”

“Might want to clean up your mane before Twilight arrives.”

“Oh shit.” He replied and picked up his brush.

He ran it over his mane and pulled out the tangles and then ran it over his fur. He glanced to the mirror and nodded. “Much better.”

“Yes. You no longer look homeless.” Kahl jabbed.

“Oh!” Nix put a hoof to his chest. “That one hurt.”

“I’m sure it did.”

Nix looked to his bed and his horn lit as he debated trying to make the bed with his magic. “Nope.” He let it go out and instead made the bed manually.

“You probably would have been fine.” Kahl said to him.

“I heard the probably in that sentence.”

“As I said with time it will be nothing to think about.”

“Yeah. I’ll practice on that ugly moving blanket for a while I think.” Kahl didn’t reply, but Nix could hear a chuckle from the dragon. He went into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge to find it empty. “Oh shit. I forgot.”

“You expected it to have food?”

“Yep. But I forgot that we didn’t know when I would be here. Don’t want anything to rot.” He replied and looked to the counter and found a small notepad on the counter. “Okay time to write a shopping list.”

“Will you be okay in a shopping center?”

“If not then I’ll just get my stuff and bail out. I can go back later at night and shop then.” He replied. “I’ve done that before.”

“Might be for the best till we get you settled into the area.”

“Yeah. You have a point. I’ll shop at night. Hopefully their open a bit later than normal. Otherwise I might be in trouble.”

“It will be fine. We will adjust as we go.”

Nix nodded and began to write down his grocery list. He went to the couch and sat down heavily on the plush cushions.

A knock on the door distracted him from his list and he got to this hooves. He looked out the window and he could see Twilight and Spike. “They're early.”

“By about a half hour or so.”

“Okay, here we go.” He said as he opened the door.

“Hi Phoenix.” Spike, chimed out.

“Hey, Spike.” The stallion smiled at the dragon’s enthusiasm. He glanced to the purple mare who looked to him, her expression sad. “Come on in.” He said as he opened the door for them and they walked into the house.

Spike walked in and he stared around them for a moment before looking to the stallion. “This place looks so cool. Is it one floor?”

“It has a basement, but everything else is on the first floor. I like one floor versus two.” Nix admitted to the young dragon.

“Very cool. Can I look around?”

“Just stay out of the basement.” Nix said to him and the dragon walked off to explore the house. He waited as the drake disappeared toward the kitchen before he looked to Twilight. “Sit.” He said to her and she followed him to the couch and sat down on the chase lounge of the couch and he sat in his usual spot.

“Phoenix, I didn’t…” She began but her voice trailed off.

“It’s fine.” He said to her. “It happens.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just don’t do well in crowds of ponies I don’t know.” He said to her.

“You took off so fast that we didn’t get a chance to say anything.” She replied. “You looked…terrified.”

He sighed and looked to his hooves in his lap. “Kahl?”

“It’s up to you what you tell her. Admitting your anxiety to her will allow her to adjust and accommodate it instead of running into it out of ignorance.”

“You and your logic.” He complained and looked back to the uncertain mare. “I have an issue with anxiety. I don’t handle it well. I can’t do crowds, it freaks me out, as you saw. I have stayed on my own because of it.” He told her.

“Well put.” The dragon’s voice praised him as they spoke.

“What caused it?” She asked.

“When I was a kid I got bullied a lot since I was pretty driven on my studies. When my grades started to drop my parents jumped in. So the teacher’s reaction was to isolate me in the classroom to avoid the bullies and I never really learned to control it. So when I got older I was really unequipped to cope with it. It’s social anxiety.”

“Oh,” Twilight replied as he explained. “So crowds that you don’t know are out of bounds for you?”

“Big time.” He replied to her. “I know you guys were hoping to be nice with that party you made.” She cringed at the mention of it as he went on. “And I appreciate the effort, but I had no way to process it. I panicked.”

“I don’t think Rainbow could have caught up with you.” She said to him. “And she’s the fastest Pegasus I have ever seen.”

He chuckled. “Isn’t it amazing what sheer terror will do?” He joked to her and she giggled at his words. “I’m not mad at any of you for it. I just can’t do it. I’d have been a nervous wreck the whole time and no fun to be around. Anypony could have touched me and you’d be pulling me off the ceiling.”

“Yikes. I’m really sorry.”

Nix waved a hoof at her as she spoke. “It happens. You’re not perfect and neither am I. It’s in the past.”

“How did you come out of it?” She asked and he looked confused at her question. “So if it happens again I can help.”

“Oh. Umm. I ran to my basement, pulled a table over to a corner, tossed a blanket over it, and then hid underneath it with another blanket over me.” He replied and she looked uncertain. “It takes time to come out of it when it’s that bad.”

She looked uncertain but he could see that she was steeling herself. “How long?”

“Took over an hour.” He replied.

“Oh wow.” She said to him, her eyes wide. “It was pretty bad?”

“It’s not a matter of how long it takes really, the timing is irrelevant. It’s how long it takes to be able to process it and come around.”

“So be in a place your comfortable with?”

“That’s a start. By making the world around me smaller its less overwhelming and I can come around faster. I’m a little amazed I managed to get that done.”

“You’re welcome once more.” Kahl jabbed.

“Shush.” He thought back. “But again. It’s in the past and I’m not mad at any of you for it. It happens.”

“Thank you for not being mad, but I still should have tried to talk to you first.”

“We haven’t talked in years, Twilight. How could you have had any idea what I was hiding?” He said to her with a smile. “You can’t know what’s going on behind a smile. I can smile through a lot of it, but that was way too much.”

“So large crowds are out of the question?”

“For now. I’m trying to work on it as I go and it’s not as bad as it could be.” He related to her. “I don’t expect you and your friends to include me in everything and I’m okay with that. You and I haven’t ever been friends before now.”

“I would like to change that.” She said to him.

“That’s fine. But I’m not a crowd surfing, concert type of friend. I’m happier hanging out and reading or researching something type of friend.”

She smiled and a laugh broke from her. “That’s fine. Sometimes I would prefer that kind. Spike is great with me, but I don’t want him always having to hang out with me when I’m reading.”

“I can entertain him every now and then. I do have my job to do.” He said to her.

“What are you doing anyway?”

“Research and development.” He replied.

“Oh. That sounds like it could be fun.”

“I hope it is. Celestia let me pick out my own subjects to look into so it should be a welcome challenge for me.” He replied to her.

“Still I am really sorry about last night. Can we make it up to you?”

“How?”

“Is a small welcome party with just me and the girls okay?”

Nix was quiet as he considered it. “Should be fine. I was okay with the group of you for dinner so it should be no problem.”

“Were you okay at dinner?” She pressed.

“I was a bit shaky at first but I just kept telling myself that I knew you and the others were working on it so I was okay after a little bit.” He explained to her.

“Okay. That’s good to hear. I know Pinkie was afraid that she had hurt you. Now I understand why you didn’t answer the door when we came to check on you.”

“Yeah, I saw the note later that night when I was checking locks and going to bed.”

She giggled. “What is it with you and locks?”

“I’m a bit paranoid okay?” He jabbed back at her. “I grew up with my mother, who is nuts, so I was browbeaten about locks.”

The purple mare laughed. “Your mom wasn’t that bad.”

“You met her once and she can fool anypony. You met my dad more often.”

“Oh yes. I remember he was so mad when I messed up our science experiment.”

“You thought you got it bad? I had to listen to days of him telling me that I had failed the experiment and should have been able to fix it before you turned me orange. Ugh. It was amazing how long he held onto that.” He chuckled.

She shook her head and smiled. “I’m glad that you’re okay. I…”

“I know you’re sorry. You don’t need to be, I’m okay. So long as we keep it in mind, I’m okay with hanging out more.” He cut her off and explained.

“Okay. Thanks, Phoenix.” She said to him.

“Just Nix is fine.” He said to her and she tilted her head slightly as he spoke. “Those close to me call me that. I think you graduated from full names to nicknames. Congratulations! Sorry, no certificates.”

Twilight laughed as he spoke and she nodded in understanding. “Well then thank you Nix. I’m glad you’re okay and I will talk to Pinkie about a small party with just us. Is it okay if I tell them why?”

“I…” He went quiet as he considered it. “You can give them a basic idea, but I would refer you keep it quiet if you can.”

“Sure. I can explain that you’re really nervous in big crowds and would prefer small groups.” She replied.

“Works for me.” He said to her. “I’m okay with you knowing since you and I have a bit of history so it’s not too revealing. Nervous is a good way to put it. Sounds better than shut down inducing terror-stricken fleeing into the night.”

“Definitely easier to say.”

“Exactly.” He said to her as Spike came around the corner.

“Hey, Twilight. His room is huge!” He said to her, pointing back the way he came. “It’s so bright.”

“Yeah, that’s a problem,” Nix admitted and Twilight looked to him. “Got blinded already.”

Spike chuckled and jumped to the couch and looked to the notepad on the side table. “What ya writing?”

“Hmm? Oh, grocery list. The fridge and kitchen are empty. Need to stop at the bank for bits though. I’m broke.” He informed them.

“Ask her to show you the way.” Kahl advised.

“Right.” He looked to the mare. “Do you happen to know the way to either of those?”

“Sure. We can take you to them. Right, Twilight?” Spike spoke up with a look at the mare.

“Yeah. It’s no problem. You’ll be okay in those?”

“Will find out. I should be okay. If not then I’ll flee and come back at night.” He replied and got to his hooves.

“Okay. We can show you around a bit more as well. Come on Spike.” The mare called out and the baby dragon jumped to the mares back and sat in place as Nix ripped off the list and held it on his jaws.

“Okay, lead the way.” He said through the paper and left the house on their heels.

8: Redo...

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The midnight blue Unicorn glared at the pile of materials in front of him. In the back of his mind, Kahl was chuckling at his latest string of profanity-laced yelling at the pile. The dragon finally quieted and Nix could feel his spirit shifting within his mind as the Unicorn scanned the pile.

“So did yelling at it help?” Kahl asked him.

“It helped me not throw it all into a wall.” Nix reasoned to him.

“Well, that is a good thing then.”

“Are you going to help now versus critiquing?”

“If you insist.” Kahl replied.

Nix reached out with his magic and picked up a set of tomes and looked to the bookshelf behind him and walked the items over to it in his aura. “Okay keep it steady.” He said to himself and the dragon hummed in reply. The Unicorn sat down next to the bookshelf and picked the tomes out of the air and began to set them in order on the shelf. A loud knock above him startled him and the books still in his aura thudded against the ceiling. He snarled as they fell to the floor.

“You’re focusing too much on the act of holding them in place. Allow the magic to flow from you evenly and you will have an easier time of it.” Kahl advised gently.

“Right.”

The Unicorn replied as he went to the steps and got to the top of the stairs as the knocking resumed. “Hold on!” He yelled and the knocking stopped. He was aware that he was snapping at an unknown pony at his door but his aggravation with his lack of progress was getting to him. His hooves carried him across the front room and he tossed open the door to find Twilight standing at the door. He blinked at her uncertain expression as he closed his eyes and sighed.

“Sorry. Been a rough morning.” He explained. “So what’s up?”

She smiled at his explanation. “Was seeing if you wanted to have lunch with us. It’s been a few days since you got here and we figured that you probably haven’t left the house.”

Phoenix cringed as she struck home on his lack of outdoor activity. “That’s true. Was working on a personal project and then got caught up organizing the basement so I was…distracted.”

“Exactly. We are going to go to Sugarcube Corner for a snack. Care to join us?”

“Which one is that?” He asked her. She had shown him several businesses on the main road when she was helping him get groceries.

“It the one that Pinkie lives in.” She replied.

“Oh, the one that looked like a gingerbread house.”

“Exactly.”

“Sure. Will get me out of the house for a bit.” He said back to her and his horn lit.

He locked the windows and doors as he closed the front door. He watched to make sure that he didn’t blow out another window in the attempt. He had done that the day before and Kahl had needed to walk him through repairing it.

“Well done.” Kahl said to him and the stallion nodded at his work and walked with the mare. “No windows were harmed in the attempt.”

Nix managed not to scowl at the dragons jab and instead tried to ignore him as the dragon chuckled. He looked over to her and she smiled back to him as she broke into a trot and he trailed a step behind her. He knew that she was trying to get him out of the main street quickly to help to keep his discomfort low and he appreciated her efforts and stayed close. She opened the door to the business and he trotted inside.

“Welcome to Ponyville!”

He yelped as the girls and Spike all shouted at him as he came into the room. It was modestly decorated with a small welcome banner with his name on it. He shook himself to get rid of the initial shock and smiled at them.

“Well, I didn’t run this time.” He quipped.

“That’s a good start, darling.” Rarity said to him as he walked up to them.

Pinkie bounced up to him and placed a green party hat around his head and he shrugged at her. Normally hats weren’t his thing but he allowed it. Rainbow pushed a small cake up to him and he looked down at it. His name was written across the top and he smiled at the sight. He was glad to see no candles since he would have needed to explain his aversion to fire. “Yay, no flame.”

“It’s not your birthday so I do not see a reason for lit candles to be there.” Kahl replied.

Nix watched as the pink mare cut the cake into sections as Spike patted his leg and he allowed the baby dragon to climb to his back. They walked to a small table and he sat down with them as the others joined them at the booth.

“Much better?” Twilight asked.

“Much.” He agreed and nodded to her.

“Twilight said ya got pretty nervous in crowds.” Applejack said to him and he rubbed the back of his neck and nodded to her. “She told us ya were okay with us so a small party was better fer ya.”

“I appreciate it. She was right about my dislike of crowds. I appreciate the effort.” He said to her and the orange mare smiled in reply.

“So what brought ya ta Ponyville?” She asked.

“Celestia asked me to do some research and development for her. She recommended that I come here.” He explained as he bit into the offered chocolate cake. Spike slid from his back and sat between the stallion and Fluttershy as they ate.

“And the house?” Fluttershy asked him.

“Yeah, she told me that she had gotten a place for me to stay and it ended up being the house. I was going to ask her about how she got it so fast but I figured she has her ways and let it go.” Nix explained.

“Well, that was dandy of ‘er.”

“Was nice to find it was so updated I have to admit.” Nix replied with a smile.

“Yeah. It’s huge inside.” Spike said to them as he stood on the seat. “The bedroom was huge.”

“It’s good sized.” Nix replied. “No complaints from me.”

“Aside from the fridge being empty.” Twilight jabbed gently at him.

“Yeah. That was unfortunate.” He admitted.

“Ya okay on food?” Applejack asked him.

“Oh yeah, no worries. Twilight helped me find the bank and the store so I was able to stock it.” He replied with a dismissive wave of one hoof. “All taken care of. But thanks for asking.”

Applejack nodded as they all went quiet as they ate the cake Pinkie had made for him. The midnight stallion looked up at the room around him and he could see that it was a functioning bakery. His eyes landed on the back kitchen where he could see a pair of ponies in the back. A tap to his hoof brought his attention back to the front.

“So what research are you doing?” Rainbow asked him. “Is it something cool? Or really boring?”

“I didn’t take any projects that were boring. If it wasn’t interesting to me I left it behind.” Nix replied.

“You got to choose?” Twilight asked.

“Yep. Walked into a room with a bunch of tables that held the projects on them and I went through and put an X on the paper if I wanted them. If they sounded boring or outside my skill range I ignored them.” He explained.

“Like what?” Rarity asked him.

“Umm.” He put a hoof to his chin as he thought over the ones he had with him.

“I would leave the blood ritual out of your replies.” Kahl advised quietly.

“Yeah. Probably a good idea.” He replied with an agreeing noise. “I brought transformation magic, storage of magical essence, and magical application of healing, to name a couple.”

“Oh. Yeah boring.” Rainbow replied and swallowed the last of her cake. “Well, the transformation one could be cool.”

“So glad you approve.” Nix replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Applejack snickered at the mare’s sour look. “Transformation into what?”

“Not sure. I haven’t had time to read the initial notes from the one who started it. So I’m going into it blind at the moment.” He replied. “I have a few ideas of my own but I want to look through the notes to see what the aim of the project was when it was made. Until then I’ll hold off on adding my own spin to it.”

“Sounds rewarding.” Rarity said to him.

“I think it will be. Will keep me interested and as long as I have something to do I’m pretty happy.”

“That’s what’s most important.” Fluttershy agreed.

Nix nodded in agreement and swallowed the last of his cake. “That was good, thank you Pinkie.” He said to the pink mare across from him.

She bounced in place and smiled widely at him. “Oh! Are you gonna join us for the Nightmare Night celebration?”

“Oh shit.” He replied as the mare's words struck him. “I forgot all about it. It’s that time of year already?”

“Eeyup.” Applejack said to him as he thought it over. “What ya gonna go as?”

“I have no idea.” He replied. “Haven’t done anything for it since I left Canterlot.”

Pinkie stopped and stared at him, her eyes wide. “Which was how long?”

“About five years ago.” He explained to her. “Was in a small town for the past two years so it wasn’t a big thing there.”

Her eyes widened further and Nix leaned back in his seat and glanced to the others who were finishing up their cake, ignoring the mares odd behavior. He looked away from her and then back to find that she had leaned forward and was only a foot away from him. He tried to push farther back in his seat.

“What in the world?” Kahl spoke up. “Perhaps she has a problem with whatever that was called?”

“Pinkie?” Nix finally breathed out. “You okay?”

“How can you not celebrate Nightmare Night? You get free candy!” She finally called out.

He chuckled. “Am a bit too old for that I think.”

“You’re never too old for free candy.” She retorted.

“You can have my share then.” He replied and reached out to push her away from him. “I’ll probably just work through it.”

“Ya can help me with the bobbing apples or the other activities if ya want.” Applejack said to him as she pulled Pinkie back to the chair and the rest of the way away from him.

“Maybe. I’m not one for dressing up though so you might have to deal with me in the normal fashion.”

“Unheard of darling.” Rarity spoke up.

“Huh?” He replied as Kahl began to chuckle in the back of his mind. “What?”

“I have plenty of costumes that you can choose from, my dear. Several of them can be used. You can borrow one for the evening.” She explained to him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He replied.

At his side, he saw understanding come over the purple Unicorn and she sat forward. “Girls, that’s a big crowd.” She pointed out.

“Oh.” Rarity put a hoof over her mouth in surprise. “I am sorry, Phoenix. I had forgotten about your aversion to crowds.”

“It’s okay. It happens and I’m not mad about it. I don’t expect you to recall something that you just learned about me, a pony who just got here. That would be unfair to you to expect such a thing.” He replied to her sheepish look.

She smiled in reply to his words. “Thank you. I had forgotten. If you wish to have a costume I do have plenty to share. Let me know and I will help.”

“I’ll keep it in mind if I decide to venture out. At the moment I have no intention of joining in. But, if I get a wild hair I will.” He said to her, allowing her to bow out gracefully without insulting him.

Phoenix was quiet as they spoke more about the holiday and time dragged past him as he got to know the other mares and Spike. The ponies in the back came out and came over to them with other treats on their backs. “So that is what they were doing.” Kahl mused to him. “They were baking for the next day, not avoiding you.”

“Shh.” Nix said back to the dragon and smiled as they approached the table.

“How was everything girls?”

The mare approached them, a warm smile on her muzzle. Her coat was a soft blue and her mane a swirled pink and cream. The lanky stallion with her was a strong yellow in color with an orange mane.

“It was great Mr. and Mrs. Cake. This is Phoenix.” Twilight greeted them and motioned to the stallion beside her.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you, dear.” The mare said to him and set the trays she had down to greet him. “You’re new to Ponyville?”

“Yeah.” He replied and took the offered hooves in turn. “Been here a few days.”

“Well then welcome to our home and your welcome here anytime.” Her husband said to him.

“Thanks. I appreciate the gesture.” Nix smiled in reply.

“Pinkie told us she needed to borrow the store for a couple of hours to greet a new friend and we were happy to help out.” Mrs. Cake told him.

“Yeah. Poor Phoenix is not a fan of crowds, so a small party was needed.” Rarity easily explained to them.

Both looked to him and his smile faltered for a moment. They broke into wide smiles as they looked at him. “Your welcome here anytime. I know the town will be celebrating Nightmare Night in a couple of days so if you need to hide out somewhere then our doors are open to you.” Mr. Cake said to him.

“Thank you. I may just work through it.” He replied.

“Might be for the best.” Kahl replied. “We can use that gorge Twilight mentioned to work on our own project.”

Nix nodded at the dragon’s words as the others began to clean up from the small party. Nix pitched in to help, even as they told him he didn’t need to since it was his party. He waved them off and helped anyway. As they finished Spike jumped to his back and the stallion said nothing as the baby dragon took pieces of trash from his hooves and pitched them to the trash from the Unicorns back. When they finished the dragon jumped from his back and high hoofed the stallion for their teamwork, a chuckle breaking from the stallion at Spike’s antics. He left the shop with Twilight, who insisted on walking him home. He was quiet as they walked and looked to the houses around him.

“So where did that sword come from?” Spike asked him.

“Huh?” Nix looked to him, startled.

“That sword on your mantle.” Spike clarified. “It looks really cool but way too high for me to look at up close.”

“Oh. That was a gift.” He replied and hoped they would drop the subject.

“From who?” The dragon pressed.

Nix nearly told him to drop it but he knew that the baby dragon was curious and not trying to drag him through memory lane. “From the ponies that helped me in the last town I lived in.”

“Oh, that’s cool. They gave you that?”

“Yeah. Was a big surprise.” He admitted.

“Cool. Can I see it?”

“Nah. I leave it in place at the moment.” He replied, praying that he would drop it.

“Oh okay. Maybe another time?”

“Sure.” Nix replied and smiled for the dragon at his side.

“So what are your plans now, Nix?” Twilight asked him.

“Probably do some work, then hit the hay.” Nix replied.

“If you decide you need some help feel free to let me know and I’ll add my organizing skills.” Twilight said to him.

“If you ask her to, be ready for her to redo everything you’ve already done. Just warning you.” Spike said to him.

Twilight flushed and huffed for a moment as the stallion chuckled. “She probably has a better method of it than me. I just put things in the way that looks easiest.”

“That can work. Is it alphabetical?” She asked.

“No.” He replied. “Easiest, not exact.”

She looked to the sky for a moment before glancing to him. “I’ll help a little tonight.” She said with finality.

Nix opened his mouth to argue when a bark of laughter from Kahl stopped him. “I stepped in that one, didn’t I?”

“With all four hooves.” The dragon confirmed.

“Not too long though.” He replied to Twilight as he opened the front door with his magic and the door swung wide and nearly banged into the wall.

“What did I say earlier?” Kahl reminded him.

“Focusing too much?” Nix replied as he tried to ignore the look from Twilight.

“Among other things yes.” Kahl replied.

“Nix?”

“Sorry. Was a bit distracted.” He explained and shrugged as he led them inside.

“Really?” Twilight said to him, doubt in her tone.

Spike walked in behind her and said nothing as the stallion pushed the door closed gently behind them. He led them toward the basement and opened the door manually, allowing them to walk down the steps ahead of him. Twilight looked around the basement and he could see her eyes widen at the space and the equipment.

“Wow.” Spike voiced as he looked around. “You may end up with Twilight here all the time to use your stuff.”

Nix chuckled and shook his head. “I doubt that.”

“I don’t.” Spike replied.

Nix looked too the purple mare and he watched as her horn lit with her magenta aura and the items in the room began to spin around them. “Uh oh.” Nix said as he grabbed Spike and pushed him to the ground as items went over them. Above him, books spun around them and were put into their place in the shelves and he looked up as she cast a glance to him.

“Nix. This is really bad.” She gave him a slight scolding. “You and I both know you’re more organized than this.”

He managed not to cringe at her light scolding tone. He glanced to Spike who looked knowingly back at him. In the back of his mind, he could hear Kahl laughing at him. “You’re supposed to on my side.” He complained to the dragon.

“I am. I’m just greatly amused by this young mare scolding you like a colt.” Kahl replied, laughter in his tone.

“Like I said Twilight, easiest to find.” He replied.

“I know but come on.” She teased. “None of these in the right place to make it easy to find. If you wanted to use a set of chemicals, your books on them are on the other side of the room.”

“True. But I’ll need the exercise if I’m sitting all the time.” He mentioned.

Twilight looked over her shoulder at him as items slid into place. She gave him a look that screamed ‘are you serious’? The midnight stallion looked around him as things were put in place and she finished after several more minutes and then looked to him.

“It looked like you were trying to make things difficult.” She said to him. “It should have taken you even less time than me to do that with your magic. But it looks like you weren’t even using it.” She said and loomed to the filled shelves around her.

He cringed at her and she stared at him. She opened her mouth to speak but Spike gasped, earning their attention.

“Twilight, it’s by Starswirl.” He said aloud.

Nix’s eyes went wide as he realized that he had left it out of the lock box. “Oh shit.” He yelped and leaped to the baby dragon and grabbed the materials in his hooves. He looked up as the mare stared at him. “No.” He snapped at her as she began to come toward him. He got up and opened the lockbox and stuffed the tomes and notes into the box and locked it. At the look from the mare he stuck his horn into place and it locked in place.

“Nix!” She yelled at him and looked at the lockbox. “That was one of Starswirls lessons?”

“No. It actually wasn’t.” He replied and glared at the baby dragon.

“That could have been done better.” Kahl said to him.

“Nix.” She said to him.

“Sorry. That was supposed to be in the box but I forgot it earlier. I was moving things around and it got left out.”

“It’s not a lesson?” She asked him, trying to look over his shoulder at the locked box. “What was it?”

“A failed experiment of his.” He lied. “I’m using it to add perspective to a project.”

“Failed?” She asked, her tone was incredulous at his claim.

“Every pony fails at some things, Twilight.” He replied hotly to her. “It’s just for perspective. If you recall we had a class about how Starswirl and other ponies would do experiments that were not looked well on among their peers?” She nodded. “So it’s one of those. It was never finished and I’m using it to help with a project.”

“What project is it?”

“Nosy little thing isn’t she?” Kahl added.

“You have no idea.” He replied to the dragon as he spoke to the mare. “It’s for the storage of Magical Essence.”

“Oh.” She sat back and looked at him. “Magical essence storage is not easy. So I see why you might need a great Unicorns perspective.”

“And you aren’t?” Kahl replied hotly.

“Exactly.” He replied.

The purple Unicorn backed up and was quiet as she looked around her. “But why were you not using your magic to finish this?”

“I was making sure I was looking through the materials first.” He explained. “I wanted to make sure that I knew what I had.”

“Oh.” She looked guiltily around the basement and cringed. “I think I undid your work then.”

“It’s fine. I can poke through it still. It’s fine. Might be easier to look through this way.” He tried to assuage her concerns and smiled at her.

“Okay. If you need help with anything let me know. I’m sorry I teased you about it.” She said to him.

“It’s fine. I’ve been teased worse. I’ve got pretty thick skin so it's fine.” He replied as he led them up to the stairs and to the door. “You guys need me to walk ya home?”

“No. Thank you anyway, Nix. I’m glad you’re doing better. If you decide to come out for Nightmare Night come to the Library. Spike and I will walk around with you. Might be easier that way.” She said to him and gave him a hug as she spoke.

“Sure. If I choose to go out I’ll let you know. Thanks for the help.” He said to her.

He waved to them as they left him behind and he closed the door and locked it behind him. He backed up to the door and leaned his flank against it, then his back and he slid to the floor, sitting in front of the door. His mind went over what had happened and he kicked himself for leaving Starswirls project out in the open. He didn’t like lying to Twilight but he knew that telling her it was about a blood ritual would have guaranteed more questions.

“I had forgotten about it as well.” Kahl said to him, his voice soothing. “You did well in deflecting her questions.”

“I know but still. That was stupid.” Nix replied.

“Not really. You were distracted by other things, that’s no fault of your own.”

“Maybe. Still, she did clean up my mess.” Nix joked back to the dragon.

“That is true.” Kahl chuckled in reply. [i “What will you do with this Nightmare Night?”

“I will probably go to the gorge or hide down in the basement. I didn’t really like it even as a kid.” Nix admitted.

His eyes went from the ground in front of him to the blade above the mantle. He could see the glittering hilt even in the dark. He knew that he could see as well in the dark as he could in the light due to the dragon he shared his body with.

“You still have not named it.” Kahl said o him.

“I know. Nothing seems to fit.”

“It will come to you in time.” Kahl replied, his voice quiet. “You have access to other languages now, so perhaps that can help.”

“Huh?”

“I speak several languages and through me so do you.”

“Oh. Cool.” He said as he got his hooves and stretched. “What’s remember in dragon?”

“Hmm? What version?” Kahl asked. “Dragons have several tongues.”

“What's the oldest?”

“That would be Ancient Dracoran.” Kahl replied to him. “A version of remembrance would be Veltoraa.”

“Veltoraa?”

“Yes. It translates down to Remember Life.”

Nix was quiet as he walked to the mantle and gently pulled the blade down and sat down on the couch with it across his lap. He pulled the weapon free and looked at the bright sapphire gem embedded within it. His hoof went over the gem and he looked up from the weapon.

“What is the significance of the Sapphire?” Kahl asked him. “Strong said that you would understand it.”

Nix chuckled and looked back to the weapon. “Melody was the mare that first rescued me that night I showed up in the village. When I came to I was in their house in front of the fire. They were using it to make sure I stayed warm. I panicked at it and she held onto me, telling me to think of the sea. The deep blue sea. She covered my eyes and sang to me. It was an old seaside lullaby that her mother had sung to her. I don’t know all the words but it was about finding comfort in the unending waves of blue water and loving what they find under the surface.” Nix explained. “She is…was…an amazing mare.”

“I agree. Makes me think you would be best suited to the Elemental dragon of water.” Kahl joked quietly to him.

“Maybe. But I don’t think he would have stopped to help a village of ponies.” Nix replied as his hoof went over the gem once more.

“Probably not.” Kahl admitted. “If they had been close to the water maybe.”

“This gem was hers.”

“Then why is it here?” Kahl asked.

“She put it around my neck when I was hurt and she told me to look to it when the fire got to be too much to bear. She made sure the chain was really long so it could lay in front of me and I could see it easier. She told me that it would wash away any nightmares.”

“I see. A special mare indeed.” Kahl agreed quietly.

Nix sniffled and slid the weapon back into the scabbard.

“Wait.” Kahl voiced. “Pull it once more. I have an idea.”

Nix pulled the sword back out of the scabbard and waited as the dragon began to speak to him once more.

“Would you wish to engrave the name you have chosen on the blade?”

“You can do that?”

“We can.” Kahl replied.

“Yeah. Will it damage it?”

“Of course not. I would not have offered it I thought it would harm the weapon.” Kahl chided him.

“Sorry. So what do I do?”

“Lay it down on the hearth. The last thing we need is to accidentally slip and engrave the couch.”

“Funny, but bad.” Nix agreed and set the weapon gently on the hearth.

“Now focus on the weapon and I will handle the engraving. Dracoran takes on new meaning if it’s misspelled or used wrong.”

“Uh oh. Yeah, you take the engraving.”

Nix focused his mind on the weapon and his magic gently gripped the weapon in its merged aura of blue and flame. He held it still and let Kahl work through him. Allowing the dragon to have control of their combined magic and waiting until he was told what to do. His eyes closed as the light from the sword brightened. He could hear Kahl speaking, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying over the magic rushing through them. He could feel a gentle wind going over him as the magic flowed over the weapon and his fur.

“Done. Lay it down gently and tell me if you like it.” Kahl finally said to him.

“Okay.” He opened his eyes and gently released the blade.

He looked at the weapon and he could see a shimmer going over the weapon and he watched as the writing close to the gemstone faded from fiery writing into bold dark lettering on the blade. He looked closely and he could see that the writing flowed and was beautiful to behold. The letters flowed together and looked like they had been there all along. They were written directly under the gemstone and he sat down in front of the weapon and stared at it.

“Nix?”

“Yeah…” He quietly replied. “It’s perfect. I think they would have loved this as well. It looks like this was there all along. It’s…just…Perfect.”

“I’m glad. Dracoran can be a bit tricky to use but when it is done right then it is quite the sight to see.”

“It looks like the weapon is…what did you do to it?”

“I added magic to it. It will not chip, nor break. It will endure as long as we do.” Kahl replied to him. “It is not my Element but I tried to give it an essence of water.”

“How did you? You’re of flame?”

“Perhaps. But that does not mean I cannot ask the others for a little bit of them, same as they can from me.” Kahl replied.

“I can’t believe you…Thank you, Kahl.”

“My pleasure, Phoenix.” Kahl replied to him.

Nix picked up the weapon and sat it across his lap once more. He ran a hoof over the writing and he smiled at the memories of the couple that was like a second family to him. His hoof went over the gem and he slid the weapon back to its scabbard and stood to reset it in place. The Unicorn was quiet as he watched the scabbard glinting in the fading light. He backed up and went into the kitchen and looked over his shoulder to the weapon. It seemed to glow in place and he smiled at the sight of it. The midnight blue stallion looked back to the kitchen and cleaned up the few small things off the counter and went toward the basement door. He closed it quietly and walked toward his room.

9: Nightmare Night...

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Phoenix walked toward the Library and he paused outside the door, standing behind an elderly mare and three fillies. He glanced up as Pinkie seemed to appear out of nowhere and he could hear her talking to Twilight inside the door. He paused and a gulp sounded from him as he approached once they had left and he walked up and Twilight yelped in surprise at his appearance.

“What?” Nix yelped in reply. “Goddess Twilight! As if I’m not on edge enough.” He complained, a hoof to his chest as he panted for a moment.

“Nix. Oh by Celestia I am so sorry.” She said to him as he breathed out to try to calm down. “What are you doing out? I thought you were going to hide?”

“I was…Would...Rather hide…But I figured I should at least try.” He replied. “This is all your fault, Kahl. I hate you so much right now.”

“You will be fine. Stay with your friends and you will be okay. You wished to work on your Anxiety so this is a start. We will avoid the largest crowds and allow you to acclimate on your time. We worked on your magic this morning so this is a good way to start out the evening. Being around these ponies will get you used to them and over time you will start to not notice the numbers.” Kahl reasoned. “I am not asking you to run into the main group of them. Just do your best.”

“Nix?”

“Huh?” He looked to Twilight, who was staring at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“It’s okay. You look really tense.” She said to him.

“I’m a bit fried.” He replied honestly. “I’m already a nervous wreck.”

He sighed and tried to relax as she smiled at him. “It’s okay. You need a costume.”

“I have one. I stopped by Rarity’s place and grabbed one of hers. She said she was hoping I would change my mind and that this one was her idea of a good costume for me. I admit I don’t know what it is.” He replied and showed her the borrowed saddle bag on his barrel.

“Oh good. Come on in and we’ll get you set up. She didn’t tell you?” Twilight chirped brightly.

“She probably did but I was already a bit scattered so I didn’t hear her.” He walked into the Library and waited for her to close the door. He waited as Spike came up to him as well. “Are you a dragon inside a dragon?”

“No, I’m a regular dragon!” Spike replied.

“Okay…” He replied, his voice uncertain as Spike unbuckled the saddle bag from him and the stallion let it fall into Spikes claws.

The baby dragon opened the bag and pulled out a mixture of dark blue, black and red fabrics. Twilight’s magic covered it and she was able to sort out the design and she held it up next to him. She looked pleased and held it out and began to tell him where to put his hooves. He slowly slipped into the costume and backed up as she set the helm over his head. Spike gave a pleased sound and nodded, a claw on his chin.

“I like it.” He said to the nervous stallion.

“What is it?” Nix asked them.

“I think it’s a black phoenix.” Twilight replied to him.

“Seriously?” Nix said to her.

“Just look.”

Her magic brought up a mirror and he chanced a look to the mirror. He could see the black and blue fabrics flowed over his back and flanks to appear as though they were the flowing fire of a phoenix’s tail. The fake wings along the side held snatches of red, dark blue, and black. The helm he wore gave him a hawk-like appearance. His vibrant blue eyes shone through the helm eye slots and he arched his neck to see the effect of the helm.

“Wow.” Spike smiled. “That looks really cool Nix.”

“It does.” Twilight added. “It looks great on you.”

“I guess.”

“You wear it well.” Kahl praised.

Nix heard Kahl’s praise and he held his head up, shifted his flanks, and stretched out his body a bit to allow it to lengthen out. His hind legs had vanished within the costumes ‘tail’. Twilight clapped her hooves and Spike gave a cheer as Nix finally seemed to be able to calm down a bit. He nodded to them and a small smile crossed his muzzle.

“If you need to you can treat this costume as a place to hide. You can hide behind the mask it gives you.” Kahl said to him.

“That’s true.” Nix replied to the Ancient Dragon.

“You ready Nix?” Twilight asked him.

“I guess.” He said and moved toward her. “Okay. Let’s do this.” He finally said to her, his voice more confident.

Twilight opened the door for him and he walked out on Spike’s heels. The baby dragon looked back at him and he looked back as Twilight joined them. She smiled as they began to walk into town.

“Oh. Nice Starswirl costume.” Nix complimented.

“Finally a pony that knows the costume.” She cried out.

He tilted his head at her reply. “Huh?”

“Spike asked me if I was the kooky grandpa at the nursing home and Pinkie thought I was a weirdo clown.” She replied.

“Ha-ha!” Kahl barked out a laugh at her reply.

“Hehe.” Nix laughed in spite of himself and tried to hide his laughter for her sake. “Sorry.”

She glared at him for laughing but her glare faded as a good-natured smile went over her mouth. “Look. There’s the start of the decorations.” She pointed out to him.

“Yep.” He replied and tried to swallow the nervousness down.

“You’ll be great, Nix.” She encouraged. “I’m with you and so is Spike.”

“Yeah. We got your back.” Spike said o him.

“Thanks. Hopefully, I don’t ruin the holiday for you two.” He replied as his steps slowed at the sight of the crowds.

“You’re okay.” Twilight said to him and slowed down to pace him. “You set the pace.”

He looked at her and stared. “You sure? You might end up out here all night.”

“I’m okay. You’re my friend and I won’t leave you all alone.” She said to him and stayed at his side. “You’ll probably get compliments on your costume.”

He knew that she was trying to distract him from the nervousness building in his mind and he tried to latch onto her words and stay involved in talking with her. “Maybe. I’ll make sure to tell them who made it.”

“Rarity will just be really glad that you’re wearing it.” She said to him. “We will have to make sure to show her. You can show off.”

“Show what off?” He replied.

“It looks really good on you. It’s obvious she made it for you.” Spike replied. “Isn’t she the best?”

“I was a bit surprised at the look of utter glee when I walked into her shop.” Nix admitted. “She practically threw it at me and told me to have fun.”

“See? She’s the best.” Spike replied, his voice whimsical.

Nix glanced to Twilight who leaned in close to the helm where his ear was located. “He’s got a huge crush on her.” She whispered to him.

“Oh.” Nix chirped and looked to the dragon and back to the purple mare. She shrugged and he pushed that information to the back of his mind.

Kahl chuckled at the newest information and Nix tried to ignore the crowds they were getting close to. They paused as Spike got some treats from the stalls on the outskirts of the crowd to allow Nix to approach at his own pace. He tried to get close to some but his hooves stopped and he simply stood in place, scared stiff. Twilight had come to him and steered him away from the crowds. He hung his head, he knew that he was ruining their holiday.

“Nix. It’s okay.” Twilight tried to convince him that they were okay.

“Yeah. I’m getting lots of treats. This is the best.” Spike gushed and showed Nix his haul of candy.

“I’m really sorry.” He whispered to them.

Twilight stopped him and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. See? Spike is thrilled and I love the decorations. If I followed Spike we would be in the middle of it all and he wouldn’t be getting the candy he likes.” She said to him.

He looked to her and he could see the earnest smile on her muzzle and he raised his head to nod to her. “Okay. I just don’t want to slow you two down. I’m… I don’t know.”

“You’re doing better than I thought you would.” Twilight said to him.

“How?”

“Look around a bit.”

He raised his head and he could see that he was in the middle of a group of stalls and several ponies were milling around him and moving past him. He didn’t know any of them and they didn’t seem upset that he was standing dead center in the middle of their party.

“You are doing very well, Nix.” Kahl praised him from the back of his mind. “She is right. You are doing much better than I had hoped you would.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I did not wish to draw your attention to where you are now but I am glad that she did.” Kahl replied to him. “Take pride in what you’re able to do and keep trying. You are doing just fine.”

He looked to them and both Twilight and Spike were smiling at him as he finally realized that he was doing better than he thought he could and he finally felt a little smile tugging at his mouth and he nodded to her. “Okay. So better than I thought. Umm…Lead on Spike.” He said to the beaming baby dragon.

“Come on.” Spike motioned for them to follow and he merrily walked ahead of them.

Twilight bumped his shoulder and he smiled back to her. He looked up as ponies looked to him and he watched as they smiled and a few pointed him out. He paused as ponies were beginning to stare and he could feel his anxiety creeping up his throat. Twilight waited at his side and patted his shoulder.

“They are looking at your costume.” She said to him and he spun his head to look at her.

“Love your costume.” A pony called out as he passed them by, following his foal into the crowd.

“Told you.” Twilight said as other ponies began to comment about it.

“It’s a blackbird.” A familiar pink pony called out as Pinkie and a group of foals joined them.

“It’s a black phoenix.” Twilight clarified. “Show it off a little Nix.” She whispered to him.

Nix stood taller and stretched out his body, allowing them to see the wings and flowing fabrics. His blue eyes glowed through the helm and he felt a smile on his muzzle as another friend had joined them. The foals all seemed to like his costume and he tried to relax in their presence. He listened as they discussed their candy and where they had gotten it.

“Above you!” Kahl’s voice cut through their tone and he looked up to see a black rain cloud above them.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared and he ducked down as Pinkie and the foals all screamed and ran away. He could feel his heart in his throat as he stared up at a now laughing Rainbow Dash. He could feel anxiety in his throat but outrage came roaring up to replace it.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.

“You are such a jerk!” Nix yelled to her.

“Oh come on lighten up Nix. Great costume by the way. Nightmare Night is the best night for pranks.

“Look what you did to Spike.” Twilight barked at her.

Nix looked down to find Spike collapsed to the ground gasping and choking through the fright brought on him by the rainbow-maned mare. Nix looked up as the rainbow mare took off to scare another group of ponies. His teeth ground at her and he looked to the now panting dragon.

“She’s lucky I didn’t light her on fire.” Kahl snarled.

“I thought about it.” Nix replied.

Twilights magenta aura picked up Spike and set him on her back. She gave an annoyed sigh and looked to him. Nix looked to her and shrugged. They walked off toward the games section of the celebration and he stayed close to the other Unicorn as they walked at a steady pace. He looked up and the crowds around the games gave him pause. At his side, Twilight waited as his pace slowed down dramatically. She reached out a hoof to reassure him and he closed his eyes and breathed out a breath and walked slowly forward with her and Spike close to him. He could feel a sense of calm wash over him from the dragon in his mind. A familiar voice caught his ears and he looked up to see Applejack in a scarecrow costume standing close to a half barrel filled with water.

They got close to her and she turned to smile at the other mare. “Heya Twilight! Nice costume.” Twilight smiled as the farm mare looked at the pony with her and she walked up to the stallion and stared for a moment.

“Hey Applejack.” Nix said to her.

“Well, Ah’ll be. Nix?”

“Hey.” He replied and waved a hoof at her.

“Ah thought ya would be hidin’ away.” She said to him.

“I was going to, but I figured I should at least try.” He said to her.

“Ya look good in that costume. Yer a blackbird?”

“Close enough.” He replied.

“Black Phoenix.” Spike said and patted the stallion’s leg.

“Oh. Ah like it. One a Rarity’s?”

“You know it.” He replied.

“Ya okay?” The farm mare asked.

“I’m doing pretty well considering.” He replied to her.

“That’s good ta hear.” Applejack replied to him. “Ya gonna try for an apple?”

“Nah. I think I’d make a bigger fool of myself.” Nix replied and Twilight shook her head as well.

“Ya gonna go fer a hayride?”

Nix opened his mouth to decline but a voice from behind him caught his attention.

“Welcome everypony to the Nightmare Night Festival!”

“Come on.” Twilight said to him and he followed her closely.

They walked back into the main area and Nix kept back and Twilight stayed close as the Mayor of Ponyville began to speak to the crowd. Twilight glanced to him and he tried to back up but she kept a hoof on his shoulder to keep him grounded.

“Lean on her a bit. Let her help.” Kahl encouraged him.

Nix breathed out and moved a bit closer to the other Unicorn who smiled in reply to him. He looked to the town square ahead of them and walked forward a step and stopped at the edge of the main courtyard. Twilight stayed with him and Spike patted his leg as well. He could see that the Mayor was dressed as a clown for the event.

“Now all the little ponies who have been out collecting sweets should follow our friends Zecora to hear the legend of…NIGHTMARE MOON!” She laughed spookily after her words.

Nix raised an eyebrow at her voice as Spike tapped both him and Twilight. “The scary voice might work better if she wasn’t dressed as a clown.”

Nix chuckled as he nodded and Twilight giggled. He watched as a mare in a dark robe came out of the shadows with a wig that boasted serval fake spiders. Nix had to give her credit for the fitting costume. It suited a storyteller. He watched as Zecora led the crowd of colts and fillies off to the side and he looked to Twilight as she motioned for him to follow as well. Spike vaulted to her back as they walked after the small crowd. As she sang Nix found himself smiling as the foals screamed and ran in the directions that she guided them. Twilight laughed at the frights that were being made and they both laughed as Pinkie screamed and ran for the statue of Nightmare Moon. They began to pour their bags of candy at the foot of the statue.

Nix raised his head to speak to Twilight when the wind kicked up and thunder rolled above them. Twilight held her hat in place and looked to the bewildered stallion.

“What the hell?” He called to her and she shook her head as they turned for the town.

He loped at her side and they ran into the main courtyard and slid to a stop at the sight of the hovering chariot above them. Nix stared at it but he couldn’t see past the dark clouds blocking the pony who rode in the chariot. The pony it bore leaped from the chariot and landed in the middle of the screaming ponies and he looked up as the hooded pony threw back the hood and he could see that Princess Luna stood with them.

“It’s Princess Luna.” He said to Twilight who looked closer and her eyes widened at the sight of the Moon Princess.

“Princess Luna.” She started to go forward but stopped when Spike gripped her robe and pulled on Nix's robe as well.

Nix was about to open his mouth to scold the dragon when the sight of all the ponies that now surrounded him caught him off guard. He heard a noise from the dragon in his mind as he stiffened.

“Damnit.” Kahl cursed as Nix went still.

Kahl could sense the panic coming from the pony and tried to focus the ponies gaze on the mare with him but he could feel how Nix had gone still. He reached out with the pony’s ears to listen to the ponies around him to try to find a way to seclude the stallion.

“Citizens of Ponyville!”

Kahl cringed at the volume of the mare’s voice. “Still yelling I see.”

“We have graced your tiny village with our presence so that you might be able to behold the real Princess of the Night. We are a creature of nightmares no longer and am a pony that desires your love and affection. We might now be able to transform this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!”

She yelled to the crowd and the lightning crackled over her head. The dragon was quiet as he still looked for a way to force the pony with him to act and either run or collapse. He saw about to force the pony’s body to move when a shout went past his ears.

“You hear that everypony! Nightmare Moon is going to feast on us all!” Pinkies screamed and the foals with her were horrified and took off in the pink mares wake.

“What the? Oh for the love of the Flame.” Kahl cursed as he looked to the Alicorn mare.

“Children no! You no longer have to fear us! Screams of delight are what your Princess wishes to hear, not screams of terror!” She shouted and stomped one hoof, cracking the ground.

"That is not helping.” Kahl quipped as he refocused on the stallion. The only sign that Nix was alive was his eyes blinking and the gasping breath going through him.

He watched as Luna spoke to the Mayor but he didn’t focus on her words. He simply knew that she was speaking and he was looking to the frozen stallion. He could see that Twilight was watching the Alicorn as she walked away and then she looked to the stallion. Her eyes widened at the sight of the frozen Unicorn. Kahl began to push his own mind over Nix’s to allow him to move the pony’s body without harming him. He was able to gain enough control to allow him to run as Twilight reached out a hoof and he placed Nix’s hoof in hers and she took off running, pulling the pony with her. Kahl ran with her and kept Nix’s mind protected from the fear that poured from him. He looked up as the mare reached the statue and slowed down at the sight of the Princess of the Night. She stopped and looked to the stallion with her.

“Nix?” She asked him and tried to get his attention.

Kahl focused inward and began to reach out to the shocked pony.

“Nix. You’re safe. You’re only around two ponies.” He said to him and he could feel Nix’s mind slowly responding. He could hear Twilight talking to him but he ignored her. “Only Twilight and Luna are with you now. It’s only them. You are safe and I will help you. I promise you, it will be okay.” Kahl coaxed the upset pony who finally began to come around.

Nix shook his head slowly as the fog went away from his vision and he sat down heavily in place. He was quiet as his ears caught the sound of a voice close to him and he slowly looked up to find a concerned Twilight staring at him.

“Twilight?” He looked at her, he panted as he spoke to her.

“Oh thank Equestria. I thought I’d lost you.” She said to him and hugged him tightly. “Are you okay? You went stiff and I was sure that you were going to collapse, then I reached out to you and you gave me your hoof and we ran all the way out here. So it’s just us.” She said to him as she pushed away from him and regarded him.

“I…I’m…Holy shit.” He cursed as he tried to get to his hooves, only to find that he didn’t have the strength to stand.

“A moment.” Kahl said to him.

Nix was quiet as Twilight patted his shoulders and he could feel strength go into his muscles and he slowly got to his hooves. “Okay. I think I’m okay.” He whispered to her.

She sighed in relief. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Just really umm…Anyway. What happened?”

“Princess Luna is here. What's the last thing you saw?”

“I saw her. Then I saw the ponies around me and…” He shook his head to get the image out of his head as warmth went over him as Kahl interceded and calmed him further. “And now I’m here.”

“Princess Luna is here and no pony knows how to act around her. But in their defense, she didn’t appear in a good way. She hasn’t adjusted to being back with us.” Twilight explained.

“Okay. Okay, I’m with you. So we gonna help her?” Nix asked her as he looked past her to the still Princess.

“I was hoping you would offer to help.” Twilight smiled and stood up with him to approach the Alicorn. “Princess Luna? Hi, my name is…”

“Starswirl the Bearded. Commendable costume, thou even got the bells right.”

“Finally. Thank you! Another pony who gets my costume!” Twilight shouted in clear glee. Nix looked to her and she cleared her throat to go on. “Well, I just came to welcome you to our Nightmare Night Celebration. My name is actually…

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Nix watched as Luna rose into the air with her wings outstretched and the wind and lightning around her. “It was thou who released the Elements of Harmony and took away our dark powers!”

Twilight replaced her hat which had fallen to the side of her head due to the wind from the Princesses words. “And that’s a good thing right?”

The Alicorn dropped to the ground and was close enough to Twilight to reach out and touch her if she wished to. Her voice was still shouting as she went on. “Of course. Is that not clear?”

Twilight replaced her hat again as she replied. “Well it kind of sounds like your yelling at me.”

“Isn’t that what you told her as well?” Kahl asked him.

“Yup.” Nix said aloud and the Princess looked to him as he looked away from them.

“But this is the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice! It is a tradition to use the Royal ‘We’, and to use this much volume when addressing our subjects.”

Nix closed his eyes and his ears pinned to his head at the screaming volume so close to him. He shook his head and blinked at her as she waited for them to speak back to her. Twilight righted her hat and beard as she replied as gently as possible to the Princess before her.

“Maybe that is why your appearance was met with some umm…”

“Bad results?” Nix piped in.

“Exactly. Maybe if you changed your approach you could be met with much better reception.” She finished.

Luna inhaled and Nix pinned his ears as she spoke. “Change our approach?”

“Lower the volume.” Twilight replied.

“Stop screaming.” Nix chimed out with a groan.

“Oh. We have been gone for a thousand years…We are not sure how.” The Princess replied. Her expression was uncertain as she regarded the ponies before her.

“She did fine when you said something to her before. What happened between now and then?” Kahl asked.

“You were okay with me before.” Nix said to her and she looked to him. “What changed?”

Luna looked to him and squinted at him for a moment before understanding went through her. “Thou art Arisen Phoenix?”

“Yeah. Good to see you again.” He said to her.

“I forgot that was your full name.” Twilight mused.

“I don’t use it often. Sounds a bit odd, so I just use my surname.” Nix explained quickly.

“You’ll have to explain any meaning behind that name.” Kahl voiced.

Nix managed not to groan at the dragon’s request. The Princess nodded to him.

“Thou are fitting in well?”

“Umm…Kinda.” He replied.

“Good.” She said and looked back to Twilight who smiled.

“Okay, so I have an idea.”

Princess Luna nodded and waited. “And?” Nix quipped.

She glared at him for a moment and he looked to the ground for a moment. “Well, we could find another pony to help teach Princess Luna how to lower her voice to talk to other ponies.”

“And who do we accost in the middle of Nightmare Night for that?” Nix asked her.

“Fluttershy.”

“Huh?” Nix had to admit he openly stared at her for a moment before he went on. “I haven’t seen her all night now that I think about it.”

“She might be at home.” Twilight explained. “Nightmare Night might be a bit much for her as well.”

“Oh. Fair point.” Nix admitted as Twilight took the lead.

They walked out of town and toward the edge of the Everfree forest. Nix was quiet as he walked forward. Luna looked to him as they walked and he tried to smile at her.

“Though are dressed as a Fallen Phoenix?” She finally asked. While her voice was quieter she was still bordering on shouting at him.

“Yeah. A friend made it for me.” Nix replied, hoping to show her that his volume of speaking was better by replying.

“Interesting choice.” She boomed back to him.

He nodded and pinned his ears as Twilight shook her head at the volume. “Ouch.” Nix complained to the dragon.

“That is growing old, I agree.” Kahl replied. “One would have thought that she would be a bit better adjusted by now. But I suppose a thousand-year gap is a lot to overcome.”

“I guess. By Faust.”

He looked up as they reached a house at the end of the path. It looked similar to the ones in town aside from the trees and birdhouses around it. They walked over a small bridge and reached the front door within a few steps.

“Don’t worry. I know Fluttershy can help us. It will be easy enough to help you have a gentler approach, Princess.” Twilight reassured the Alicorn.

Nix stood back a step with Luna as Twilight knocked on the door. He pinned his ears at the terrified yelling coming from behind the door. “Go away! No candy here! Visitors not welcome on Nightmare Night!”

Twilight looked over her shoulder to them and chuckled nervously. “Fluttershy! It’s me Twilight.”

The door opened a crack and the butter yellow mare looked out from behind it. “It is you and Nightmare Moon.” Her eyes went wide and she screamed as she slammed the door. “Nightmare Moon!”

Nix said nothing at her not mentioning him since he was sure that the Alicorn had taken up her vision. Nix knew that he was taller now but he was still a bit shorter than her. The Alicorn looked unimpressed as Twilights magic covered the door and she looked nervously to them.

“Hang on.” She replied and went into the house.

Nix cringed at the cacophony of sounds coming from the house and he watched as the door was thrown open and the Unicorn shoved the Pegasus ahead of her and kept her in place.

“Fluttershy. You remember Princess Luna?” She said aloud and backed up when the Pegasus stopped fighting her.

Luna reached out a hoof and her voice boomed out once more. “Charmed.”

Fluttershy went a shade paler and stared. “Likewise.”

The Pegasus tried to flee but Twilight slammed her front door, allowing the mare to run into it and stop her fleeing. Nix cringed at the impact and stayed still beside the taller mare. He leaned a bit forward as the mare fell to the ground behind her and rolled to stare at the Alicorn.

“Twilight Sparkle hath spoke of the sweetness of thy voice. We ask thou to teachest us to speak as though speaketh.”

Fluttershy whimpered and her voice as barely a whisper. “Okay.”

“Shall our lessons begin?”

“Okay.”

Nix had to train an ear forward to hear the Pegasus as Luna went on. “Shall we mimic thy voice?”

“Okay.”

“I did not think she could get any quieter.” Kahl admitted.

Nix nodded absently as Luna spoke. “How is…This?” Her voice had gotten quieter but not by a huge margin.

“Perfect. Lessons over.” Fluttershy yelped and tried to flee to her house again. Only to be met with the same closed door.

Twilight’s magic pulled her up front again and she tried to escape but the magenta aura held firm. Nix had to fight not to comment about the butter mare not giving Luna a chance but he bit his tongue.

“A little quieter, Princess.” Twilight encouraged and Nix nodded to her as well.

“How…Is…this?” She asked as she spoke.

“Better.” Nix praised and she seemed to brighten at the progress.

“How about now?”

“Getting there.” Twilight said to her.

“How…is this?”

“Perfect.” Nix said to her and the Alicorn visibly brightened at the words.

Luna smiled widely and her magic grabbed hold of the Pegasus and hugged her tightly. “Oh thank thee, sweet Fluttershy! Our normal speaking voice will surely gain us the love of thy fellow villagers.”

Nix smiled at her clear pleasure and Twilight joined him. He looked over his shoulder at the sound of hooves behind them to find Pinkie and the foals coming toward them.

“Fluttershy! You gotta hide us. Nightmare Moon is here and…!” The mare squawked in her chicken costume and looked to the foals with her. “She stole Fluttershy’s voice so she can’t scream when she gobbles her up!”

Nix cringed as they took off running and screaming. Luna dropped Fluttershy and jumped after the children reaching for them. “Nay children…” She stopped when she heard that she was yelling once more and tried again. “Nay children…”

Nix felt a pang of pity go through him at the sight of the dejected Princess. Nix walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s okay. We have other ideas too.” He assured her as Twilight walked up to his side and looked to him. “We can introduce you to the others and maybe they can help bring the rest of the town around.”

“It’s no use. They have never liked us and they never shall.” Luna lamented to him.

“We can try Applejack.” Twilight replied, her tone upbeat.

Nix nodded as they began to walk with her toward town once more.

Nix gulped as they approached the apple bobbing once more as Applejack talked to a small group of ponies and smiled at the sight of them. She yelped and ducked at the sight of the Princess.

Nix chuckled nervously and tipped his horn to Twilight. “Applejack. We are trying to help Princess Luna fit in, and could use your help.” Twilight piped up as she bent down to look at the other mare.

Applejack looked to her, her eyes questioning. “Fit in. Really?”

Nix snorted while Twilight glared and she popped up to look at the Princess of the Night. “I mean, that’s easy. Ya just need ta have the right attitude. Loosen up a bit, be positive, play a few games and have some fun.”

“Fun? What is this fun?” The tall Alicorn walked up to a pony that was hiding under her hooves and looked to the small bowl of fake spiders on the nearby table and then to the web several feet away from her. “Pray tell, what purpose doth this serve?”

The pony pointed to the web. “Try to get the spiders on the web.” She whimpered out.

Luna picked up a spider and tossed it toward the web, falling a foot or so short. She looked uncertainly back to the others and Applejack took to encouraging her further. “Try again!” She called out.

Luna got a determined look and picked up another spider. She pulled her hoof back a bit further and tossed the little spider onto the web, landing close to the center.

“Nice!” Nix shouted to her.

Luna looked stunned back to them and a smile went over her muzzle. “Your Princess enjoys this fun! What other ways may we experience it?”

Applejack looked to the two Unicorns with her and Nix nodded to her. The farm mare walked them over to a small field set aside for a pair of catapults. Nix smiled at the sight before him and he trotted a little ahead of them.

“You did punkin’ chuckin’?” He yelped to the mare.

Applejack nodded. “Ya done it afore?”

“Not here, but yeah.” He admitted.

“Then ya get ta go against the Princess.”

Nix slouched at the decision. “Oh come on. That’s not fair she’s bigger than me.” He mock complained and stood next to one of the catapults.

Nix reached over and picked up a small pumpkin and set it into the bowl of the catapult. Luna looked to him and mimicked what he did. “Hey Kahl?”

“Understood.” Kahl replied, laughter in his voice.

Nix put his hooves on the outside of the bowl and waited as Luna looked to his and did as he did. He waited till he could feel a bit of strength go through him and he pushed the bowl down as hard as he could and let go. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Luna do the same and he looked around the catapult to see if he won or not. He watched as his pumpkin hit the target and pushed it over and Lunas hit the target square in the center. He looked up as the Alicorn looked to him and he said nothing as a smile crossed his mouth.

“Hehe.” He chuckled absently.

“Might have gone a bit overboard.” Kahl admitted.

“Maybe a little. But worth it!” Nix replied.

“The fun has been doubled!” Luna shouted.

Ponies’ cheered around her and Nix stepped back to avoid the large crowd that was gathering closer to them. Luna looked around them and Nix could see the look of joy on her face even from the distance. She trotted back to the others and Nix looked to the broken target and considered it for a moment.

“I assume that we will be working on that as well?” Nix asked the Ancient Dragon.

“Yes.” Kahl chuckled a reply.

“That was fun though.” He admitted.

“I am glad that you are enjoying yourself once more.”

“Took a bit but I think I’m okay now.” Nix replied. “At least for now.”

“Better than nothing.”

“Even though I really was not happy with you for insisting that I come out tonight.”

“I recall you used a few words that I had not even heard of.” Kahl teased.

“You deserved them.”

“Hahaha.” Kahl laughed in reply.

Nix was about to speak more when a scream sounded out behind him. “Huh?”

He looked back as ponies were running around and screaming. He watched as several decorations fell to the ground and he looked over the crowd for the purple Unicorn and orange mare. They looked as bewildered as he did as he got up to them.

“What the hell happened?” He asked them.

“I’m not sure.” Twilight admitted.

He cringed as a pole fell to the ground and he could see a pained look cross Lunas face as anger took its place. “Uh oh.” He said aloud as Luna inhaled.

“Be still!” She roared over them.

Nix watched as every pony went still and silent. He looked to the Alicorn as Twilight stepped forward. “Princess, watch the screaming!”

“No, Twilight Sparkle.” She replied and whirled to face the Unicorn. “We must use our Canterlot Voice for what we are about to say.” Her wings opened and she took to the air and spoke from above them. “Since you choose to fear your princess rather than love her, and dishonor her with this insulting celebration, we decree that Nightmare Night shall be canceled! Forever!”

“Oh shit.” Nix cursed as the Alicorn flew away from them.

“Well this is not exactly ideal.” Kahl agreed from the back of his mind. “Now we must pick up the pieces.”

“Yeah.” Nix looked at the two mares and shrugged to them.

“We had everythin’ goin’ fer us. Luna was happy, everypony was happy. And now look at em’.” Applejack lamented.

“What happened?” Nix pressed.

“She helped Pipsqueak from drowning in the apple bobbing barrel and he ran away screaming with the others.” Twilight explained.

“Oh for Goddess sake. This is ridiculous.” He replied. “They keep running and it’s not helping her. Now, what do we do?”

“I‘m going to do what I do best. Lecture her.” Twilight said and gripped his foreleg and dragged him with her.

“Are you serious?” Nix asked as he followed her at a fast trot. “I don’t think that will help.”

Nix looked up as Twilight paused and he could see the Princess walking away from them, her head low. He felt a sense of sorrow go through him as he walked up to her with Twilight.

“Leave me be, Twilight Sparkle. You as well, Arisen Phoenix.” She said to them.

Nix walked up to her and she paused as he set a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight joined him. “I know things haven’t worked out the way we wanted them to but you have to believe me when I say that Nightmare Night is one of the most popular celebrations that we have.”

“That’s true.” Nix agreed. “Ponies love to walk around in their costumes and the lore is popular as well.”

“I can tell. The delighted screams of the children as they all run away.” She replied and walked away from them.

“Princess…” Twilight said to her.

“Hey. Why don’t we get Pinkie to calm down and she can get the others to chill out?” Nix said to her. “She’s the ringleader of the screaming brigade.”

“Your right. Come on Princess.” Twilight said and trotted past her.

Nix looked up as Twilight finished her trail of treats and she looked back to where he waited with Princess Luna. Twilight reached out and grabbed the chicken clothed pony, pushed her against the nearest wall, and spoke to her in place. He could see that Pinkie had nodded about something so the stallion brought the Alicorn forward.

“Pinkie you remember Princess Luna?” Twilight said and motioned with her hoof for the Alicorn to approach.

“Yes. The ringleader of the frightened children.” Luna looked to Nix and he tipped his horn to the mare. “Hast thou come to make peace?”

Nix watched as the Alicorn reached for the others hoof to shake and Pinkie smiled in response and reached out to her.

“Above!” Kahl called out in warning.

Nix looked up. “No!” He yelled as the lightning cracked and thunder roared. He heard Pinkie scream and he could hear her hooves as she bolted and Twilight was yelling after her.

“Kahl.”

“Agreed.”

Nix’s horn lit with their shared magic and he sent a bolt of magic to hit the laughing rainbow-maned Pegasus above him and he heard her yelp and he watched her flee from them. He rolled his eyes and looked to find Luna laying down in the dirt, her eyes staring at the ground.

“Hey.” He said to her. “It’s okay.”

“They will never like us.”

“They do. They’re just trying to adjust as well. They haven’t seen you before. I was scared of you at first.”

“Thou did better than this with us.”

“Maybe. But I was still really uncertain. Once you stop yelling you do fine.” He explained to her. “It’s just hard to get past the yelling and the old thinking.”

She tried to look up to him but her eyes remained downcast and he sat down by her, trying to make her feel better. Twilight trotted back to home, a wide smile on her muzzle.

“Princess Luna. I figured out why you’re having so much trouble being likes.” She said to them brightly.

“Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm.” Luna deadpanned.

Twilight was undaunted. “Come on. I can explain everything on the way.”

Nix walked into town and looked up as the ponies were lamenting the turn of the evening. He breathed out and walked into the scattered group. “Okay, I can do this.” He whispered aloud.

“You can. Keep an eye on your goal and you will be fine.” Kahl encouraged him. “Keep your goal in mind.”

“Right.” He said and walked toward the foals that he could see. “Okay if I start this, please help me out.”

“Of course.”

Nix looked around and he could see the main group of foals and he angled to them. His hooves carried him to them and he flicked his head back to send the helm he wore back onto his back. He lowered his heads to them. “Hey, kids.”

“Hey.” One of them looked up to him.

“It’s not over yet.” He tried to sound upbeat as he spoke to them. “There’s still time left tonight for the candy offering.”

“Keep going.” Kahl said to him.

“Who knows? Maybe Nightmare Moon will see your offering and be pleased enough to bring it all back?”

Pipsqueak looked up to him, his eyes wide. “That can work?”

“Who knows? You only fail if you don’t try.” He said to him and nudged the little pony to his hooves.

Nix felt a tap to his hip and he looked up as the zebra from earlier approached him, a smile on her mouth. He backed up a bit as they began to encourage them as well. He began to walk back to the statue and he looked back to see the foals all following him.

“You’re missing your costume.” Kahl said to him. “Best look like you’re having fun as well.”

“Right.” Nix reached back and pulled his helm over his head and broke into a trot to lead the foals forward, Zecora and the Mayor at their heels. He pranced forward and the foals all began to mimic him as he led them. Nix smiled as he began to dance on his hooves and the foals slowly began to smile and laugh as he led them forward. He could hear Kahl chuckle in the back of his mind as they reached the clearing with the statue inside it.

Nix stood off to the side as the foals began to drop their candy onto the ground one at a time. He looked to Twilight who smiled back at him. Pipsqueak was the last to drop his candy and he looked forlornly up at the statue.

“Goodbye Nightmare Night. Forever.” He said as he looked away from the statute to leave it behind.

The wind kicked up as a voice boomed out from around them. “Citizens of Ponyville! You were wise to bring this candy to me. I am pleased with your offering. I am so pleased that I think I will eat it instead of eating you!”

Nix smiled as Nightmare Moon lunged down from the statue and snapped a set of fake fangs at the ponies as they screamed and ran away from her. She released the illusion on her form, spit the fake fangs out of her mouth, and jumped to the ground as Nix and Twilight joined her.

“I am certain that did not do what you wished it to do Twilight Sparkle.” She said to the costumed mare.

“Just wait.” She assured her.

“For what? For them to run away screaming some more?” She asked, her expression hurt.

She paused as her mane was tugged and Pipsqueak looked out from behind her mane. “Princess Luna? I know there’s not gonna be anymore Nightmare Nights, but do you think you could come back next year and scare us again?”

Nix bit back a chuckle at the stunned Alicorn’s expense. “Child! Art though saying that thou likest me to scare you?”

“It’s really fun! Scary but fun.” He assured her.

“It is?”

“Yeah! Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year!” He said to her.

“Well then! We shall have to bring Nightmare Night back!” She boomed out at the foal.

“Wow.” He lunged forward and hugged her foreleg as he spoke to her. “You’re my favorite Princess ever!” He shouted to her and ran back to the others who were hiding in a nearby bush. “She said yes guys!”

“They really do like you!” Twilight said to her as they approached her.

“Can it be true?” She looked stunned for a moment as a joyful look crossed her muzzle. Her voice boomed out as she spoke. “Oh most wonderful…” She stopped and looked to Nix and Twilight who were cringing. “I mean. Oh, most wonderful of nights.” She said in her normal tone.

Nix walked with them as they came back into town and he broke off to go return the costume to Rarity before it got to be too late. He trotted forward and found her shop with some help from Kahl and knocked on her door. He could hear her hooves coming to the door and it opened for him.

“Oh my!” She yelped and backed up.

Nix smiled and turned his head to the side for her to see his bright blue eyes. “Hey, Rarity.” He said to her.

“Phoenix.” She said aloud and beckoned him inside. “Well, it certainly seems to fit well on you.”

“Yeah, it actually is pretty cool.” He replied. “I was told that I needed to come back and show you since I didn’t put it on earlier when I picked it up.”

“Of course. Let me see darling.” Rarity encouraged him.

Nix turned to the side and put his head up and stretched out to show her the full effect of the costume. She nodded, appraising her work on the pony before her. She clapped her hooves as he posed a few times and with a laugh, he spun to her and pranced in place to make her laugh.

“I will have to use you to model things for me.” She chuckled and began to help him take the costume off.

“No thanks.” He said to her. “That’s way too many ponies staring at me.” He replied and slid the helm off his head and set it aside as the last of the costume slipped off his back.

“Will you be going to hide now dear?”

“Yes. I think I hit my limit a few times tonight and I’m gonna crash.” He admitted and the mare smiled at him as he walked for the door.

“Have a good night Phoenix.” She called out him as he left the boutique and began to walk home.

“You did well tonight.” Kahl said to him.

“I froze once though. How did I get to where I came around?” He questioned the dragon.

“I moved you.” He admitted.

“How?”

“We are in the same body Nix. Do you truly think that you are the only one that can control it?”

Nix slowed for a moment as he thought it over. “Now that you mention it I think I did assume that.”

“It would not surprise me. You were here first, technically. We are still working on our connection. I took control when you were not able to move and I pushed your mind back to allow me to move us. It took a moment, but I had to ensure that your mind was not hurt in the process so I had to delay for a moment. Which thankfully was all the time Twilight needed to act.” Kahl replied to him.

“Well. It worked so I’m okay with it.” He replied as they neared the house and he paused as he called on the key and gently unlocked the door with it in his magic. “Hah! It didn’t fly open this time.”

“Well done. You are steadily improving. I think we can agree that you have worked enough tonight and a good night’s sleep is needed.”

“I agree.” Nix voiced and headed for his room. “A warm shower and sleep. Sounds like a good plan to me.”

10: Lessons...

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Phoenix looked over his shoulder, ensuring that nopony had followed him out to Ghastly Gorge. He had finally gotten away from town to try to work on learning Kahl’s flames and try to overcome his fear of fire. His hooves carried him deep into the Gorge before he finally slowed and stopped.

“Far enough out?” He asked the dragon aloud. He had gotten into the habit of speaking aloud to the dragon when they were out and it was just them. “Can we also work on how you can sense ponies and others around me?”

“This is far enough. We can work on it as well. We will work with the Flame first then work on expanding your senses. We can also break up the Flames if needed.” Kahl replied.

“Break it up?”

“Yes. Work with the flame for a time then switch to your senses and then back to flame.” Kahl advised him.

Nix was quiet as he listened to the dragon to speak in his mind. “Okay. So fire first?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Okay, so what do we do?”

“All right. You have control of the raw flames that I carry at all times. You are also able to summon them from within the world itself. For now, I do not recommend that we try that until you have more control of it outside of yourself.” Kahl went on. “That being said I want you to reach within and call the flame to your horn. You have the ability to allow the Flames to be first in our magic versus your natural aura. So try to accomplish that for now.”

“Okay,” Nix replied and reached out to the flame that Kahl spoke of.

Nix could feel a familiar heat reach back out to him as he called on it and he looked up as his horn burst into flames and he yelped and fell back, landing heavily on his flank as the flame faded out. He got back to his hooves and breathed out slowly. He breathed out and called on the Flames once more. His horn burst into flame and he breathed in, fear coursing through him and he tried to hold it but he cut off the magic and let it go dormant once more.

“Nix?” Kahl’s voice reached out to him.

“I know.” He snapped pout. “Give me a minute!”

“Easy. I was asking if you were all right. I have no desire to push you. I am aware of your fear of flame and I am willing to take this slowly. Take your time.” Kahl replied to his angry tone, his voice calm.

Nix sighed and tried again. “Sorry. I’m a bit tense.” He admitted.

“I can tell.”

“Okay, so same thing?”

“Perhaps. A moment.” Kahl replied.

“Okay?”

“Try this. Sit down.” Nix complied as the dragon went on. “Close your eyes and reach out to the flames within. Do not use your horn. Hold it as you did when you were merging our power. A simple hold. Feel what it is and what it can do. Do not command it, simply hold it close.” Kahl instructed.

“Got it.”

Nix closed his eyes and reached out to the Flames within him and he could feel it respond to him. He was surprised with how quickly the power responded to him and he did as Kahl had said and simply held it close to him. He could feel the warmth that came from it and he held it a bit tighter, allowing that warmth to spread through him. A gentle wave of heat went over his body and he could feel that it was both untamed but under control. A force of raw power that had no end, but would cut itself away to save those attached to it. Nix was quiet as he would feel the natural contradiction of the Flames and how they would kill the world, but underneath was the power to give and save a life. Nix raised his head as the heat got stronger.

“Stay calm and open your eyes.” Kahl whispered to him.

The dragon’s voice whispered in his ear and the pony obliged. He opened his eyes and they widened as he saw that fire had covered the area around him. He started to pull away and the flames stayed with him. The Unicorn was quiet as he watched the fire twist and flow over the ground around him. Nothing burned and it made no sound as it flowed, water like over the ground and through the air above him.

“Stand.” Kahl said gently to him.

Nix stood and he could feel the heat from the fires around him as he began to move slowly forward. It was warm and comforting as it stayed close to him. “Kahl?”

“This is one form that Flame can take. What you are seeing is a type of shield. It is meant to protect and warm.” Kahl replied. “It knows of your fear and despite the natural tendency of fire to burn all that is around it, it chooses to protect.”

“It chooses?”

“Yes. The Flames of this world are many things, but they are not murderous. Fire can burn a world to ash, but in its wake life is brought out. After a forest fire, there is life under the ash.” Kahl advised him. “If you wish it, it will burn the world to cinders. If you wish it to warm you on a cold night, then it will.”

Nix was silent as he broke into a trot and then to a gallop as the Flames stayed close to him. His heart beat in his chest and he could still feel the fear going through him. His eyes closed as he galloped forward. He willed the fire to stay close to him and he opened his eyes as he bid it to strengthen and he watched as it burned through stone and he slid to a stop. He looked up as it began to run around him and he felt panic coming over him as it began to rage around him.

“Kahl!” He cried out as he fell to the ground.

“I’ve got you.” Kahl’s voice was soothing as the flames calmed around them. “You were doing well. You’re not ready to command the destructive side of the Flame yet.”

Nix sighed and covered his face with his hooves. “What did I do wrong?”

“You called on more than you were ready for. Not a mistake, but still more than what you can handle at this time. You did very well. Considering your fears.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your fears are set and that is hard to overcome. You allowed the Flames to come to you and you did well with finding them encircling you and allowed them to show you what they are able to do within the confines that you give them.”

“So at first it was acting that way because it’s what I wanted?”

“No. You were being protected because it’s what you needed.”

“Needed?”

“Yes. It can sense your fear and anxiety. You do not need the raw power that it has, you needed to see it acting gently, as your shield. You are not ready for it to act as your sword.” Kahl explained.

“But I’m doing better?”

“A great improvement.” Kahl praised and Nix sat up.

“Got it.”

“Now to move onto expanding your senses.” Kahl said to him. “Now for this you do not need to use your horn. This comes from within.”

“How so?”

“You are able to sense those you know or those you wish to within a certain distance.”

“Can you sense further than I can?”

“For now yes.” Kahl admitted to him. “I have had a long time to hone this skill so I do not ask that you outdo me yet.”

“Okay. So what do I do?”

“Who do you wish to reach out to?”

“I have to choose a pony?”

“We need something to focus on. I was able to find ponies for you before. Now it is your turn.” Kahl said to him.

“Okay…Umm…Distance?”

“For now do not try to go beyond Ponyville. Anything farther than that will backfire on you and could hurt you.” Kahl advised.

“Okay. How about Twilight or Spike?”

“That will work. Pick one and we will see if you can extend your senses enough to find them successfully. We will work with the Flames more another day. That last part gave you quite the scare so we will wait till tomorrow for more. I want you to find her and allow that sense to lead you directly to them.”

“Okay sounds like a plan. I need to get some work done anyway.” Nix agreed. “Okay so teach me what the hell I am doing.”

Kahl chuckled and replied to him. “It will probably be easiest for you to close your eyes and bring up a feature or image of the one you are hunting. Keep that image in your mind and reach out for it. Similar to how you reach out for the magic within you. But in this instance, you are reaching out to the pony in your mind. In time this ability will be as easy as breathing and become second nature to you.”

“Okay. Here we go.” Nix thought of Twilight and focused on the image of her in his mind. “Okay now what?”

“Reach out into the world around you. Similar to how you would reach out with your horn but you are using the senses within. Reach out and find her.” Kahl said to him.

Nix could feel the dragon withdraw a bit in his mind, allowing him to try and follow the dragon’s instructions on his own. The Unicorn was silent as he opened his eyes and he was surprised to find that he could see beyond the Gorge and out into the world around him. He pulled back as it snapped into focus and he lost the sight and he grumbled under his breath.

“Try again.” Kahl urged.

He nodded and refocused on the mare in his mind, closing his eyes to allow him to focus on her. “How will I know when I have found her?”

“You will know.” Kahl chuckled. “When you think you do, let it lead you.”

“That’s not helping.”

“Trust me.” Kahl urged him.

Phoenix was quiet as he reached out and kept his eyes closed this time.

Kahl watched as the stallion reached out once more and tried to reach for the mare once more. The Elemental Dragon watched in silence as the Unicorn lost his focus and attempted to locate the mare once more. He had to admit that Nix caught on quickly and he watched as the pony began to walk forward, his steps cautious. Kahl watched as he opened his eyes once more and was greeted with his normal eyesight. He felt the stallion pause but then keep going forward. If he had a body he would be smiling as the ponies steps became more determined and certain in his stride.

Nix walked forward. He wasn’t sure how he knew he was going the right way but his hooves kept going under him. The unicorn was quiet as he broke into a lope and ran back into town. A few miles passed him by and he saw Ponyville ahead of him. He slowed to a strong trot and skirted the main street to avoid the market crowds and he followed his own inner compass as it led him toward the edge of town. His pace slowed as uncertainty about his location began to bite at him.

“You’ll help if I get lost right?”

“Of course.” Kahl replied.

“Okay, good.”

He lengthened his stride and came up to a wooden fence, he looked to the sides and a small opening caught this attention. He trotted through the opening and found himself looking at a farm house and a large red barn. Nix stopped in his tracks and after a few moments of hesitation he crept forward slowly. He weaved through a small group of trees and he looked up as he came to a field in the back of the orchard and he narrowed his eyes as he saw two ponies in the distance and he crept slowly forward, careful of where he placed his hooves to avoid stepping on any of the produce. He looked at them and he could tell that one of them was twilight. He raised his head as a sense of pride washed over him.

“Well done.” Kahl praised.

“Sweet.” Nix voiced aloud and turned to leave them behind.

“Not going to say hello?” Kahl asked him.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” He admitted to the dragon. “What excuse would I give to them if they asked me why I came out here?”

“Fair enough.” Kahl admitted. “Back home then?”

“Yep. Need to decide which project I want to start on.”

Nix was quiet as he made his way out of the orchards and he glanced toward the barn to see a large red stallion looking at him. He paused and then lowered his head and started to walk faster away from the red pony.

“He’s behind you.” Kahl advised.

“Shit.” He whispered and looked over his shoulder to find that the dragon had been right. “Sorry.” He said aloud and was about to break into a trot when a tug from his tail stopped him in his tracks.

“Hold up pardner.”

Nix stopped and looked anxiously back to the red stallion who had released his tail and came to stand in front of the Unicorn. Nix could feel anxiety at the back of his mind but he was also certain that if this pony was going to hurt him he had the magic to get away easily enough. A long range teleport would do the trick within a second.

“Ya new ta Ponyville?” He asked.

Nix nodded in reply. “Yeah. Just got here a little while ago.”

“Ah’m Big Macintosh.” He replied and extended a hoof to the other pony.

Nix stared for a moment before he reached out and took the others hoof. “Phoenix.”

“Nice ta meet’cha.” The other replied and shook his hoof for a moment before releasing it. “Now Ah don’t mean ta sound angry, but what are ya doin’ here?”

“Oh. I was testing a locater spell.” He rushed out. “I was looking for a friend and it led me here. I didn’t want to disturb anypony so I tried to keep out of sight. I’m sorry for trespassing.”

The red stallion looked at him for a moment before a smile went over his muzzle. “So that’s what yer up ta. Shoot that’s no problem. Feel free ta drop by anytime, yer always welcome.”

Nix stared for a moment at the change in demeanor but recovered after a moment. “Thanks. I’m sorry for coming onto your farm without saying anything. I just didn’t want to disrupt anypony.”

The roan nodded and assured the midnight blue pony that there was no harm done and to have a nice day. Nix trotted out of the gate and loped back toward the town. He reached his house with a bit of help from Kahl and walked inside. He leaned his flank against the door and sighed.

“Okay, I’m done with interacting with ponies today.” He said aloud.

Kahl chuckled. “I agree. You should get something to eat in the meantime.”

“Definitely.” Nix agreed and moved toward the kitchen.

Nix was down in the basement as he went over the list that he had made of the projects with him. He looked over the materials list for some of them and he cringed, some of them would involve him getting more materials than he had at his disposal currently.

“Should have asked about a materials budget.” He said aloud.

“Perhaps. Try one that will not require a large list for now. The last thing we need is to worry about the budget.” Kahl replied to him.

“That’s true.”

Nix went quiet as he looked over the next page of projects. “Did you ask for that one?” Kahl asked him.

“If you mean the Application of Magical Theory, no.” He admitted and shrugged. “I guess she thinks I might like it anyway.”

“Perhaps.” Kahl replied. “What theory?”

“I have no idea,” Nix admitted with a laugh. “I guess I pick one?”

“Do you even have a book on the separate theories?”

“Nope.”

Kahl laughed in his mind as Nix set the list aside. He looked over to the locked box and his mind went over the ones that he had sitting inside the safe. He walked over to it and set his horn in place to open the safe for him to look over the few that he had set inside.

“Thinking of the one about blood rituals?” Kahl asked him.

“Yeah. But I don’t think I’m quite ready for that one. I mean I can separate it into its parts and see where it takes me but for now, I don’t think I’m ready for it.”

“Perhaps expand on the storage of magical essence?” Kahl replied. “You were beginning to work through it already.”

Nix nodded. “That’s true.” He replied and pulled out the gem stones that had been sent with him. He set them onto the table and pulled out the research notes that had been compiled already. “Okay so let’s see what the original pony has to say about this.”

Nix opened the notebook and he frowned at the lack of organized writing. “Oh man.” He groaned under his breath.

“What in the Flames?” Kahl said to him. “I have not seen anything so disorganized in quite some time.”

“I know?!” Nix yelped at the dragon’s words. “This is awful. I am not exactly one to complain about it since my own notes can be a bit scattered but Goddess preserve me.”

“You may be better off redoing them.” Kahl replied as the stallion set the notebook on the table.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. I hate redoing somepony else’s work.” Nix griped.

“Best get started then.” Kahl chuckled.

Nix groaned as he pulled out a notebook of his own and set it aside. “Okay. So this page is practical theory and the next is application notes after that is my own notes…Ugh.”

“While you are doing that I will be pulling back to rest.” Kahl said to him.

“You okay?” Nix asked.

“I am fine but even a spirit needs to rest at times. You can reach me as normal but it might take a moment.” Kahl explained. “One should take rest when able instead of waiting for it to be required.”

“Fair point. Enjoy your nap.”

Nix could feel the dragons presence fade to a dull sensation in the back of his mind. Kahl had explained what it meant when he needed to rest as well and Nix understood it but it always concerned him when Kahl sounded tired or strained. He looked back to his notes as he took the pencil in his magic and began to write.

“Okay. So the first thing I need is the process. I have my method but that is different than what they chose to do.” Nix scanned the papers and his eyes widened at the processes before him. “Oh, you have got to be kidding. Process one is to refine a gemstone. Oh hell no that process is out of date by a hundred years. I guess gems were not as easy to use? Or was it better to use a pony made gem versus a natural one?” He cringed as he realized that he had said it all out loud expecting a reply from Kahl. “Never mind.” He said to himself and a chuckle broke from him. “And I will probably end up talking to myself a lot.”

He looked to the notes once more and wrote down everything that he could find that talked about the application and added it to the list of notes he had in front of him. He ripped the papers out of the book and set them in piles to go through as he went. Before long he paused and his eyes fell on the stack of papers and he sighed.

“Geez. This guy was really long-winded. That would be fine if he made any sense, most of his notes are just going over the same processes over and over. I’ll just use his method as a base and start over. And I’m talking to myself again.” He said to himself and he put his head back as he laughed at himself.

Nix was quiet as he shook his head and pulled the box of various gemstones in front of him and he read the note that came with them. “Various purity, various size, various blah, blah, blah…Right.” He set the note aside and looked through the organized gemstones. He set them aside as he removed the small clear boxes that held the separate types of gems. He paused as he set the last one on the table and he found a compartment on the bottom that was hidden under the others.

“What the hell?” He said aloud and opened the compartment which held a note for him, his name written in flowing writing on the envelope.

Arisen Phoenix:

Thank you for taking an interest in these topics for my sister and myself. Many of these are from a time when things were not so clear cut and have been left behind. My sister has enclosed a set of gems that she believes will be helpful to you. I do not know what gems they are but she seemed to think that you would know them. I am glad to see her taking an interest in things and that she wished to help you as well. The gemstones are under this letter. Thank you again.

Princess Celestia

“Huh?” Nix voiced as he set the letter aside.

He picked up the larger container and pulled it out onto the table and his magic set aside the original box that they all came in. His hoof pulled open the lock and he flipped the lid back to reveal the gems.

“Wow.” He said aloud at the sight before him.

His eyes were wide as he stared. The gems were in various sizes but even he could tell that the comparison to the gems he had stopped there. Their colors varied and all of them were a mix of colors, none of them was a uniform color. They were all encased in a velvet container that kept them from rolling around inside the box. There was no change in purity or cut with the ones that sat in front of him. He picked one gem up and set it in his hoof. It was an inch and a half long and an inch wide. The stone was close to a half inch in depth and he rolled it over in his hoof before he set it down and looked to the largest of the group. He picked it up and it was close to the same size as his hoof. It was close to five inches tall and four inches wide its depth was over two inches.

“Holy shit it’s huge.” He muttered aloud and stared.

He set it back in the case and leaned back in his chair. The other gems were close to the same size as he looked at the case and realized that there was a second layer under the first set. He looked at the sides and found a set of buckles in place and he clicked them open to allow himself to move them aside. He set them gently down and looked to the pure black gemstones in front of him. The Unicorn had seen onyx and obsidian gems before and these were different. Onyx paled close to the edges and you could almost see through them. These however did not. No light came through them and he moved them in their velvet enclosures. He reached out a hoof and plucked one from the case and a flash of pain went through him and he nearly threw the stone to the table, dropping it to the table instead.

“What the buck?” He whispered as he gripped his hoof.

His mind raced as he stared at the stone on the table. Its perfect edges seemed to glare back at him as he looked to his hoof, thinking that he had hurt it at some point. His eyes went over his hoof and he found nothing to be visibly wrong with it. His blue eyes went back to the gemstone that stared back at him. He reached for the gem but hesitated before he touched it again. His mind went over what could have happened and he pulled his hoof back and held it to his chest. His magic reached out and he gripped the gemstone. He was ready to throw it away from him if something happened as his magic held it. When nothing happened he set it gently back into the box and pushed away from the table.

“Okay…That was weird.”

He was inclined to reach out to Kahl but he decided that since he had not been hurt he would leave the dragon to rest. The stallion was quiet as a knock from above caught his attention. His magic gripped the gems and put them back into their box and hid the black ones back at the bottom with the other gems. His horn slid into place to lock the safe. His hooves carried him up the stairs and he locked the basement door behind him. He hesitated for a moment and looked at the basement door, he shook his head, trying to put the strange event behind him.

“I’ll ask about it later.” He said to himself in a whisper and trotted to the door.

He pushed the door open to find Twilight and Applejack at his door. He paused and stared as they looked back at him. He opened his mouth to speak but he stopped at the unhappy look from Applejack. He backed up a step, ready to close the door and run if the need came.

“Now Ah ain’t gonna be mad at ya.” She finally spoke up.

“Huh?” He replied.

“Big Mac said ya came to the farm ta test a spell.” She went on. “Said ya didn’t stay to say hello and ran away.”

Nix was quiet and he gave a slight nod. “I did go to the farm but I apologized for going onto the land without permission. He said it was okay.”

Twilight didn’t say anything and he looked to her for a moment before Applejack spoke again. “And the spell?”

“It was a locator spell. I was checking to see if it worked.” He replied.

“Twilight said there is no such spell.” She went on. “Now ya need ta explain, Phoenix.”

“It’s not a spell to find anypony exactly it creates a feeling within that guides me to a pony or being. I was testing it and I used Twilight as the beacon for it.” He tried to explain in a way that would make sense. Without Kahl, he had a strong doubt about whether he was making any sense. “I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t ya tell us then?” She asked.

“I…You looked like you were involved with something and I didn’t have anything to say. Interrupting you was not the right choice at the time. If I had known you’d get so mad about it I would have teleported and avoided everything.” He snapped to her as he grew more frustrated.

The mare looked startled and she looked to Twilight who nodded. “He can teleport as well as I can, if not better. I told you there was a good reason. I’m sorry we came over here like this Nix. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Applejack looked startled and then she looked apologetic. “Ah’m sorry. Ah’m not really angry, Ah was just surprised ya didn’t say hi.”

“Well, the look on your face was not exactly nice. You looked at me like I killed your dog or something.” He argued.

Applejack startled at his wording but she nodded. “Ah’m sorry. Ah really ain’t sore at ya.”

“Sure.” Nix snipped back at her.

“Ah brought ya some apples and vegetables from the farm. Ah though maybe ya needed something and got too nervous to say anything ta Big Mac.” She said and took off her saddle bags and set them in front of him.

Nix groaned. “And now I’m the asshole.” He quipped and set his head against the door jam. “Come in.” He said to them and his magic picked up the saddlebags, bringing them inside.

The mares came in behind him and he shut the door while he went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and began to unload the apples and veggies into the fridge. He looked over his shoulder as the two mares took a seat in the kitchen at the island. His magic put the saddle bags by the front door on the coat rack. His eyes fell on the mares as they sat in silence.

“You guys want anything to drink?” He asked them.

“Whatcha got?” Applejack asked him.

“Water, milk, juice, a few bottles of beer, and with the product you brought I can make a smoothie if you want one.” He replied.

“Don’t wanna put ya out makin’ anything.” Applejack said to him.

“It’s no big deal. I was going to make myself something anyway. After reading through some of the notes I have for work I need to have something sweet.” He laughed as the orange mare chuckled.

“A smoothie of whatever yer gonna make fer yerself is fine.” She said to him.

“Perfect, fruit smoothie it is.” He looked at Twilight who nodded.

Nix set about making the smoothies and the mares sat quietly as he finished and set their drinks in front of them.

“Thank you,” Twilight said as she gripped her drink in her hooves.

“Mighty kind of ya, Nix.” She said to him.

“Not a problem.” He said as he leaned against the island as they drank their drinks. “I’m sorry about being snippy a bit ago.”

“It’s fine. Ah could have phrased things better.” Applejack replied to him. “Yer always welcome on the farm. Feel free to drop by anytime.”

“So who is Big Mac?” He asked.

“Oh. That’s mah older brother. Mah Granny Smith lives there and so does mah little sister, Apple Bloom.”

“Oh, so the whole family,” Nix replied. “That makes things interesting.”

“There are days that we get on each other’s nerves. But in the end we are still family.” Applejack agreed and a smile crossed her mouth. “What about yer family?”

“Oh. Yeah, my parents are in Canterlot and I’m an only child.” Nix replied.

“Ya miss ‘em?”

Nix shook his head. “I was on my own for five years. I mean I still care about them, but I’m fine on my own.”

Twilight gave him an odd look but didn’t she didn’t say anything to him. Applejack didn’t ask him anything else as she took a drink of her smoothie. “So what are you working on?” The Unicorn asked him after a pause.

“Umm. I’m going through the notes for Storage of Magical Essence. The pony who made the project is…eccentric I think is the right word.” He explained. “Or maybe he just had a really hard time writing out his thoughts since he goes over the same thing in the most roundabout way I have ever seen. It’s taking time to read through his notes and rewrite them.”

Twilight nodded in reply as Applejack looked to him. “And what does all that mean?”

Nix chuckled. “It just means that the way he wrote it all down makes no sense and I’m working on figuring it out.”

“Ya get paid ta read through the writin’ of a crazy pony?” She asked him.

Nix snorted and covered his nose as he tried not to have his drink come out his nose. “Owww.” He said aloud as he rubbed his nose.

“Ya okay?”

“I’m fine. I just wasn’t ready for that.” He sniffled and shook his head to get rid of the pain. “It’s not that he’s crazy just didn’t organize his thoughts very well.” He explained.

“Ahh, that makes sense.” Applejack replied. “So what are ya tryin’ ta do with all his notes?”

“Right now I’m just writing it all down in an organized manner then I’m going to work on figuring out the method that he was going to use for accomplishing his goals for the project.”

“And what is the goal?” Twilight asked him.

“From what I can tell so far, now mind you this is a guess, was to store the Magical Essence of ponies and then be able to use it at a later date to power higher tier spells. That is a bit of a guess so I am working on a base understanding of it.”

Applejack stared at him as he finished and she blinked after a moment. “What in the hay?”

Nix looked confused for a moment before he realized that he was talking to an Earth Pony. “Sorry. Umm. I don’t want to insult you.” He replied a bit of anxiety began to bite at him.

“Yer not insultin’ me. Ah have no idea what ya are talkin’ about.” She replied.

“Okay. So the goal is to store the magic of a Unicorn in a gemstone and use it later for a really powerful spell that you can’t do normally alone.” He tried and looked to her. His expression showed his nervousness as she listened.

“Okay. That makes more sense ta me.” She said to him, her expression pleased. “Thanks, fer explainin’ it.”

“I‘m just glad I didn’t insult you.” He admitted.

“Nah. Ah don’t get upset easily so Ah appreciate ya keepin’ it simple fer me.”

Nix nodded and relaxed against the island and smiled. “Not a problem.”

Applejack finished her drink and his magic gripped it and set it into the sink for him to take care of later. He opened his mouth to speak when searing pain went through his mind, his boy shuddering in place.

“WHAT DID YOU DO!?” Kahl roared.

11: A Hearts Gemstone...

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Nix went still as his vision swam and he gasped as his hooves gripped the counter. His ears pinned against his head as he gasped out a breath. His eyes were wide as the dragon's words echoed through his mind, his body shuddered.

“Nix?” Twilight said to him.

He looked to her for a moment as his vision went dark.

Twilight yelled as she tried to grab his hoof but the island was too wide for her to get a grip on him. She heard him hit the ground and she slid out of her seat and went to him, Applejack on her heels.

“What in the hay?” Applejack called out as they got to him.

“I have no idea,” Twilight said to her.

“Is he breathin’?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

Twilight picked up his head and she could hear his breathing and it was steady and even. She looked over him and she couldn’t see anything physically wrong with him. Her magic picked him up and she motioned for Applejack to clear the way to the couch so she could set him down. The earth pony moved a chair out of the way and made sure the pillows on the couch were moved. The Unicorn mare set him down gently and Applejack put a pillow under his head. Twilight set him down and looked at the clock on the mantle.

“A little under a minute.”

“Huh?”

“That’s how long he’s been out. Sorry I was keeping track. The longer it is the more likely it’s not just exhaustion or something like that.” She explained.

“We need ta get ‘im ta a doctor?” Applejack asked.

“I hope not. Hopefully he just…” She stopped as Nix groaned.

“Ouch.” He said aloud and tried to sit up.

“Stay still. You fell pretty hard.” Twilight said to him as she pushed him back to the couch cushion.

“Ya okay, Pardner?” Applejack asked him.

Nix looked up and saw the two mares sitting close to him. “Yeah. Just a killer headache.” He said to them and Twilight helped him sit up.

“Are you sure? You passed out and hit the ground pretty hard.” Twilight said to him.

He rubbed his head and nodded to her. “What the hell, Kahl?”

“We will discuss this later.” The dragon snarled.

Nix gave his head a slight shake and put his hooves against his temples. “I’m fine. Just long days and short nights.” He replied, hoping that they would buy the excuse.

Twilight looked uncertain as he got to his hooves and walked toward the kitchen once more. He opened one cabinet and pulled out a bottle of pain killers. He swallowed it down and rubbed one temple with a hoof. Applejack had followed him to the kitchen and was standing a couple of feet away from him, watching him to make sure that he was okay. He smiled to them as he leaned on the counter once more.

“That was not how I imagined this day would go.” He quipped.

Twilight shook her head slightly and Applejack chuckled at him. “You sure you’re okay?” Twilight asked him, her voice quiet.

“Yeah. I’m okay I promise just too much work and not enough sleep.” He replied.

Twilight finally seemed to accept his excuse and she smiled and walked up to him. “Get some rest, Nix. Was going to ask if you wanted to come over to the Library to help me with a project but you need to get some sleep.” She said to him. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“Yeah. That’s fine. I should be fine by tomorrow.” He said to her, a smile on his muzzle.

Applejack patted his shoulder as the Unicorn led her to the door. “Take it easy Pardner.”

He followed the mares to the front door and closed it behind them after bidding them good night. The doors lock clicked and he spun to brace himself against the door, his flank pushed against the door.

“Okay. What the hell did I do?” He asked aloud.

“When did you come into contact with pure dragon’s blood?” Kahl growled to him.

“What? Dragon’s blood? Are you serious?”

“I can sense my own and you have it on you.” Kahl replied, his tone angry but not headache inducing.

“Okay. I have no idea what you are talking about. Dragon’s blood? The only dragon blood I came into contact with was yours. And even then I don’t think I touched it.” Nix replied as he pushed off the door and went to the couch.

He sat heavily on the couch and rubbed his head with his hooves. He could feel the dragon’s agitation within his mind as he tried to think of anything that could have put the dragon into a frenzy.

“What happened after I left you?” Kahl finally asked him.

“I was writing down the notes, deciphering them and rewriting it, umm…, I went through the gemstones that were sent with the project and then I found a few that were not part of the original project.”

“What gems?”

“Princess Luna sent them. She felt that they would be useful and that I would be able to use them. I looked at them and then Twilight and Applejack came to visit.”

Nix heard a low growl come from the dragon as he listened. “What kind of gems were they?”

“I can only name the normal ones. There were two types that were not normal to me.” He admitted.

“Show me.” Kahl replied, his tone clipped.

“Right.”

Nix walked out of the kitchen and pushed open the basement door. He trotted down the stairs and he groaned at the headache that still bit at him. He didn’t dare ask Kahl to fix it, he knew that the dragon was more than a bit angry about something. He reached out to the lockbox and his horn slid into place to pull them out. His magic gripped the box that held them and he set it to the side. The midnight Unicorn was quiet as he pulled the various boxes out and found the two that had been given to him by Luna.

“Okay, these are the ones that I can’t identify by sight,” Nix said aloud.

“Show them to me.”

Nix opened the first one and his eyes scanned the gemstones, allowing Kahl to look as long as he did. “Anything?”

“I know these gems. They come from mines that are deep within the dragon lands. Normally they are not given to ponies so I am not sure how she got this many of them. But they are normal in terms of their creation.” Kahl supplied.

“Okay.” Nix closed the box and set it aside as he picked up the other one. “Here are the other ones.”

He opened the lid and he felt something within him buck and he fought back the urge to throw up onto the table. He held onto the table as he leaned down to the side of the table and tried not to be sick. Kahl said nothing as Nix struggled to keep his stomach from crawling up his throat and running away. He nearly lost the fight when a sense of peace and calm went over him. His headache was gone and the feeling of revulsion faded to nothing, leaving him panting and gripping the table. Strength flooded him and his magic pulled a chair over to him and he sat down heavily.

“Explain?” Nix snapped. “Now!”

“I am sorry.” Kahl replied to him.

He could hear the regret and pain in the dragons tone. “Okay, so you need to explain what the buck is going on.”

“Those gems…they are called Dragons Tears.”

“And that should mean something to me?”

“No.” Kahl replied. “They are made of dragon’s blood.”

Nix looked at the box of gems and his eyes went wide. “Oh.” His magic closed the lid and he pushed it away from them.

“Did you touch one?”

“Yeah. Just one. But it felt like it bit me, I dropped it and then I put it away. I should have called out to you, huh?”

“You had no way of knowing what they are. While I do wish you had called on me I know why you didn’t.” Kahl said to him.

“How did Luna get them?”

“I have no idea. But I would very much like to know.” Kahl growled. “They are precious to my kind.”

“Why?”

“They are made of pure dragon’s blood.” Kahl replied. “To explain their creation I will need to explain how we treat our honored dead.”

“That sounds personal,” Nix said to him.

“It is. But you will find out one way or the other. It is better than I explain it.” Kahl reasoned.

“Okay. I’m listening. And thanks for stopping me from puking on the floor.”

“I caused the problem. It is only right that I fix it.” Kahl replied. “Now to explain. My kind is not the typical dragons that you think of normally. There are many types of dragons and there are sub-breeds within each type. There are some dragons that are descended from other Elemental Dragons. They do not hold the power of their ancestors but they are strong in their own right.”

“So you have kids?”

“No. I do not.” Kahl chuckled in reply. “Mitsu does, as does Ice. There are also the descendants of our predecessors. They live close to where the Elementals rest but not with us. They are built differently than the typical dragons.”

“So it’s a matter of lineage and type?”

“Basically.”

“So when they die?”

“They are interred in our own catacombs. They are kept far within the mountains. The honored dead are those that have gone great things for themselves and others. Not all dragons are interred there. The bodies are permitted to decay naturally, with the exception of their heart.”

“Heart?”

“Yes. The heart is removed and is placed within a crystal phylactery. The heart is the essence of a dragon. It is what holds our life force and much of our power. By keeping the heart free of decay it is believed that the dragon does not truly die. Their power and soul continue. It is believed that they watch over those that live on.”

“So their souls keep an eye on the dragons that are still alive?”

“Yes. That is the belief. In truth, the hearts still decay but is much slower. What is left over it what you have with you.”

“Meaning?” Nix’s eyes went to the box and his eyes widened at the implication. “So what I have sitting in front of us is the hearts of dragons that have been dead for a really long time and have turned into gemstones?”

“Essentially yes.” Kahl replied.

Nix felt bile rising in his throat and he staggered to the sink in the basement. He threw up into the sink and he dry heaved as the reality of what he held in his hoof hit him over and over. He held onto the edge of the sink as he began to cry. His body ached and his heart broke for the dragons.

“Nix.” Kahl’s voice was calm and soothing as the stallion sobbed.

“I am so sorry.” Nix cried.

“Why? You did not know. It was unfair of me to be angry at you.” Kahl said to him.

“No. You had every right. I would be furious.” He cried as he slid to the ground and sat in place, his back against the sink. “Why did it hurt me to hold it?”

“You have my blood in you as well and my blood recognized what it was and it called out to me. What you hold is the essence of that dragon that carried that heart. While they are not alive in the literal sense of the word the essence, the power, of that dragon still recognizes others like it.” Kahl explained.

“By the Goddess. How do we put them back?”

“I am not sure we can.” Kahl replied.

“Why not?”

“They are no longer pure. They have been ruined in a sense. The pain you felt was the death cry of that dragon.”

“Wait.” He put up a hoof and tried to get to his hooves but slid back to the floor. “So that dragon was killed in a bad way?”

“That is what I think yes. Without knowing who it is I cannot be certain.” Kahl replied.

“Can you find out?”

“I can yes. But it might hurt you to do so. I would need to channel my power through you to speak to the dragon inside that gemstone.”

“We can’t use them for a project like this. That’s…cruel.” Nix said as he finally got to his hooves.

“I agree. What I want to know is how Luna came to possess these.” Kahl admitted. “The fact that they left our lands is concerning to me. We do not permit outsiders into the sacred caves that house the honored dead. To get to them they have to go through the realm of the dragon that they are descended from.”

“Meaning they have to go through Mitsu’s house?”

“Basically. If they come from that dragon’s line then that is how they are interred.”

“Can you tell who they come from? Without talking to them?”

“Perhaps.” Kahl replied, his voice thoughtful. “Might take time.”

Nix went back to the table and he reached out to pull the box to him. He flipped open the lid and stared at the gems. “There are eighteen of them. Eighteen dragons that aren’t supposed to be out here.”

“Yes.”

“Their families can’t see them anymore?”

“No. They have not seen them since they were interred in the catacombs. The entrance is sealed to all except the Elementals.”

Nix was quiet as he thought over what Kahl had said so far. “Don’t get mad at me for saying this but. Could one of the others have let somepony in?”

Kahl said nothing in reply and Nix was afraid that he had offended the dragon. “I am not sure. I have not seen the others for over a hundred years.”

“Seriously?” He replied. “You guys don’t meet up for dinner or something?”

“No.” Kahl chuckled in reply. “As I have mentioned we do not always see eye to eye. But the thought of them allowing anyone besides us to enter into the catacombs is…an unsettling thought.”

“You okay?” Nix asked as he closed the lid to the box.

“I am fine. But the thought that our sacred site has been desecrated is…worrying.”

“So do we need to go see your fellow Elementals Dragons?”

“Not right away. I can send a pulse through the Flames to them to gain their attention and see what they can report. I will need you to allow me control.”

“Sure.” Nix didn’t even pause at the dragon’s request. “Whatever I can do to help out.”

“I will need to find a volcano.” Kahl said to him.

“What?” Nix paused as the thought of a volcano hit him. “Why?”

“I need an active font of flame. A volcano is the easiest way to send the message. Otherwise, I need to use the Element of the others and it will take more out of us to use.”

“So either a volcano or the ocean?” Nix responded.

“Essentially yes.”

“And if I want to use the ocean?”

“Then we can.”

Nix was about to celebrate when he paused. “What will be the cost if we don’t use your element?” Kahl didn’t reply and Nix could tell that the cost would be huge without the dragon saying anything. “Kahl?”

“The cost could be great.”

“Such as?”

“My power could be drained bringing the sea to heel. That would leave you to send the message.”

“Okay, so your power would come back right?”

“In time. Since our magic has been merged it could also have an undesired effect on your own as well.”

“So it could drain both of us?”

“Yes.” Kahl replied. “While I do not think it would cause permanent injury it is better to be on the safe side.”

“I agree,” Nix admitted. “So does it need to be an active volcano?”

Kahl was quiet as he considered the question. “We can use a dormant volcano. One that has fallen to death would be useless to us.”

“Why?”

“It no longer has the flames of the world pulsing through it. The volcano needs to be alive in a sense. Otherwise, the channels that the message would be taking would not make it to the others.”

“So a dormant or an active volcano,” Nix said to him.

“Yes.” Kahl replied. “A dormant one might be better. By using the volcano it would advance its activity and could cause an eruption or advanced timing in an active volcano. I do know of a few that are close by that have recently gone dormant.”

“So one of those is better for us to use?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t the mountain Canterlot is on a dormant volcano?”

“Yes. But that one is older and tampering with it could cause it to become more active.”

“Oh. Yeah, bad idea. Okay, so when do we do this?”

“Not at this time.”

“Why not?” Nix asked. “I thought this was really important?”

“It is. But asking you to do this right now will hurt you. Your magic and mine are not fully merged yet and our Pact is still young.” Kahl explained. “If we were to push the limits of it without being fully attuned it could be fatal.”

“Oh,” Nix commented. “Okay yeah so waiting is good. I thought I merged our magic?”

“You began the process. It will slowly finish the process on its own so there is no need to worry about it at this point. I am sorry that I took out my anger on you. That was untoward.”

“It’s fine. I would have been pissed off too if I was in your shoes. It made perfect sense once you explained it.” Nix assured the dragon. “I do wonder how Luna got them though. And why she gave them to me?”

“That is a good set of questions. I do wonder how she got ahold of them. Anypony that touched them would have known that something was different about them. They resist any tampering and cannot be cut into smaller pieces. The question of why she gave them to you is a good one to ask her. I am tempted to ask you to send a letter to her to ask.”

“How would I even ask her about them? I mean if I tell her I know what they are then it would bring in questions about how I know them.”

“True. But if you ask her about the fact that you cannot cut them then it would allow us to remain separate.”

“That’s true.” Nix agreed. “Maybe later. Now I’m just tired.” He admitted with a chuckle.

“I do not doubt that. Again I am sorry for my misplaced anger.”

“No need to apologize Kahl. Like I said I’d have been furious as well.”

Nix closed up the boxed gems and set them back into the lock box and locked it with his horn. His head and body ached after the roller coaster ride that had been his day so far. He looked to the notes he had made from the journals so far and went to the chair he had and sat down heavily. He moved the notes into a pile and set them aside as he groaned and leaned back in the chair, his head falling back as his eyes closed and he breathed out through his nose.

“Shit.” He said aloud and pushed himself out of the chair and set his notes aside and pushed them to the side.

“Nix?”

“Yeah. Just trying to talk myself into working.” He replied with a laugh.

“We are in no hurry. As Celestia said she prefers quality over quantity.” Kahl acknowledged. “So take your time and figure things out in your own time.”

“Yeah, I know. But I still feel like I should be sending something off by now. It’s been a couple of weeks. I guess you’re right though.”

“You have a strong work ethic which is admirable but if you enjoy your work then you will never truly work a day in your life. Take your time and you will get the results you want.” Kahl assured him.

“Good point. Okay, so I am going to get a light dinner, shower and then got to bed. I’m exhausted and haven’t done anything.” He commented and pushed himself out of the chair and up to his four hooves. Kahl gave an assenting noise as Nix walked up the stairs and locked the door behind him.

Nix rolled over and buried his head in his pillow and tied to ignore the fact that he was waking up. Several minutes went by and he groaned in defeat. He kicked the blanket back and sat up, a groan escaping him as he jumped up and walked to the bathroom a wide yawn escaping him. He looked up at the mirror and a look of horror crossed his features as his mane went in every direction and he reached for his brush.

“By the Goddess I, look I got in a fight with a tornado.” He complained.

“You actually do yes. It looks as though Suki sent one your way just for fun.” Kahl responded with a chuckle.

“He’s the one that a bit of an asshole right?”

“No. That is Ice, who hates everyone. Suki is just an asshole to me.”

“Right. Not sure why. Fire and wind don’t seem to have much in common. I mean you’re within the world and outside of it and…oh.”

“Yes. Exactly. Nothing in common.” Kahl laughed as he figured it out.

“That would do it.” Nix replied as he set the brush down and moved out of the bathroom to the front of the house.

Nix trotted out into the kitchen and his magic pulled out two pieces of bread for toast and his magic slowly toasted them as they were held in place. He glanced to the every few seconds to check on them and He added butter when they were toasted as much as he liked them. The fire that sat within his own magic allowed him to monitor the fire and get them just the way he liked them. He looked to the toaster that had been put into his kitchen and his brow furrowed as he realized that the fact that it was there had not occurred to him.

In the back of his mind, Kahl laughed as Nix pondered the toaster and the fire in his magic. “You have been doing that for a while now.”

“I just now noticed, to be honest.”

“It’s nice to see you unconcerned with the added fire. You’re improving well.”

“I guess having a fire dragon attached to you helps to get over things.” Nix admitted.

“Perhaps.”

Nix went quiet as he went to his kitchen table as sat down to eat. His mind went over the gems that were sitting in his basement and he couldn’t help but think of the dragons that were stuck in those gems and how they must have felt when they died. “Hey, Kahl?”

“Hmm?”

“All of those gems. Did all those dragons die badly?”

“Without placing a hoof on each one I have no way of knowing.” Kahl replied to him. “Each dragon is different and their deaths are the same. The one that you touched probably did. Each one is different.”

“I’m not sure I want to tamper with them enough to find out.”

“I can understand that sentiment.”

Nix was quiet as he finished his food and leaned back in the chair. His heart ached for the dragons that had been taken from their resting places. “How would a pony, dragon, anyone get past Mitsu?”

“I am not sure. If he was in his Lair then they would not be able to get past him. He does not stay there at all times. But his Lair is guarded the same as mine and the others. We have Elementals that guard our Lairs. But still, the door to the catacombs is well guarded by dragons that have been chosen to protect the dead.”

“How the hell would anyone get past all of that?”

“I am not sure. It’s baffling.”

Nix grumbled and got up from his table and started to walk toward the basement when a knock stopped him. He looked to the front door and his magic pulled it open and he found Twilight smiling as he came to the door. He smiled at her and stopped at the door.

“Hey.” He said to her.

“Hi. Can you help me out this morning?”

Nix paused and his eyes went wide as he remembered the day before. “Oh. Yeah, no problem. Sorry, it took me a second.”

She smiled and shook her head. “No big deal. Thanks for the help. You’re doing better today?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Was just over tired.” He said to her.

“That’s good to hear. Come on.” She said to him and led him away from his house.

“Do I need to bring anything?” He asked her as he paused before locking the doors.

“Nope. I have what we will need.” She assured him.

Nix locked the door and sent the key into his own pocket storage.

12: Afflictions, No...

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Nix focused his magic on the sapphire gem in front of him as he brought his magic forward to see how much magic it would be able to handle before it broke. He had already shattered one of each type of common gemstones that he had at his disposal. His understanding of the notes that he had finally deciphered mentioned the types of gems that he had not tried. The sapphire shook under the sudden strain and he reeled his magic back as a loud knock startled him and the sapphire shattered into pieces.

“Damnit.” He cursed and looked to the ceiling. “Hang on!” He reached out with his senses and it was Twilight with Applejack and an unknown pony.

“Well done. You’re getting good at using your advanced senses.” Kahl praised him.

“Thank you.” He said aloud and got up from his chair and trotted up the stairs. He opened the door to find the two mares looking stressed. “What's up?”

They both looked behind them to a tap-dancing yellow filly that was using her tail to spin a hoop and had a stick with a plate spinning on her snout. He tilted his head at the sight of her and then his blue eyes went to the two mares.

“That’s mah sister Apple bloom.” Applejack explained at his uncertain expression.

“Oh? And why is she doing all that in front of my house?” He asked her

“Have you ever heard of the Cutie Pox?” Twilight asked him.

Phoenix was quiet as he wracked his brain for anything that sounded familiar. “Nothing comes to mind.” He admitted as the filly kept on. “Kahl?”

“I have heard of many maladies and that one does sound vaguely familiar.” The dragon replied. “It afflicted a village many years ago and was not found to have any cure that I am aware of.”

Twilight and Applejack shared a look. “Ya think ya could help us with it? We need ta get rid of it.”

“From what little I am now remembering there was no known reason for the outbreak and no cure. Unless I am remembering wrong.” He replied to her.

“My books say the same thing. I figured asking you for your opinion might help us.” The purple mare admitted to him.

“What can I do?” He asked with a snort.

“You said a project you took from the Princess was for healing,” Twilight said to him.

“I did yeah. But I haven’t looked at it.” He replied to her as he backed up to allow them to come inside. “I haven’t opened the notes on it and its sitting unchecked. I can try to scan it but the notebook from it was pretty thick.”

“Try?” Applejack pleaded with him.

“Okay, hang on. Let me go get it.” He said as the filly came inside. “Try not to break anything.” He said to her and she tried to smile at him as the spinning plate kept moving on her snout. “Kahl?”

“If I recall it had something to do with ingesting or handling a plant…but I do not recall what kind. While I do know of it I do not recall the cause of it directly. Unfortunately, I am of little help in this regard.”

“Your more help than I will be I think,” Nix replied as he unlocked the vault and pulled out the notes from the specific project. He trotted back up the stairs and his magic held the notes aloft for them to see. “Here it is.”

He went to the island in his kitchen and set the notes down in front of him. He opened the pages as the filly tap-danced around them. His eyes scanned the contents as he flipped through the pages. The midnight blue stallion shook his head as he scanned the pages faster and after scanning most of the notebook, he shook his head and looked at the mares.

“I really don’t think this will do anything but…” He opened the next page and looked at it more closely. “Ouch.” He barked as the filly rammed into his leg and he hopped out of her way.

“Sorry.” She panted to him.

Nix went back to the notes and he scanned the paper again before he looked at the mares. “Okay so here he talks about old diseases and maladies that have no known cures. So this is right up our alley. Hang on.” He scanned it again to see if he was understanding it right. “Okay, so this is what I think he means. Please bear in mind that this is an unfinished project that had not been touched in over fifty to a hundred years or more.”

“And?” Applejack said as he tried to explain.

“And it could be worse than the problem.” He replied. “This is old knowledge that hasn’t been touched in recent years. But according to this, it talks about…” He reread it and his nose crinkled in place as he read it again. “Okay, I get it. So it says that the old diseases and sicknesses that still exist can be cured through pure magical force of will.”

“What in the hay does that mean?”

“It means that bringing enough magic to bear against an illness MIGHT be enough to cure it. Basically.” He replied. “Now that might work but it might end up making things worse.”

“So what ya waitin’ for?”

Nix looked at her as the filly tapped around him and he moved out of the way quickly. “Huh? You’re kidding right?”

“Nah. Can ya do it?” Applejack asked him.

“Oh hell no. This talks about taking a huge amount of magic and bringing it to bear on an adult pony. You’re asking me to do an old method on a filly?”

Twilight looked nervously from him to the farm mare. “Can it be made to help?”

“You’re kidding?” He said as he looked at them both. “If I had time to research it maybe I could interpret it into modern medicine. But that will take time. I want to help but asking me to bring magic to bear on a filly is beyond a terrible idea.”

Applejack looked angrily from him to the filly and back again. “We can’t wait too long. Mah sister could be hurt worse by this Pox.”

“I agree. But at the same time, you’re asking me to use antiquated notes on your little sister.” He looked back at the notes and flipped the pages and his eyes widened and he slammed the notes book shut. “Nope. Not an option.”

“Why not?” Apple Bloom yelped.

Nix was quiet as he leaned over the island and the two mares leaned to listen to him. “It killed five before it was tabled.” Both mares’ eyes widened as he spoke. Applejack looked at the filly as she tapped out from behind the stallion. “We need a better option.” He said, his voice final.

Twilight nodded. “He’s right. So raw magic is not the way to go in this case. Any ideas, Nix?”

The stallion was quiet and his eyes flit around the room as the filly tapped around them. “Might be on a good start but magic can make more problems than it can cure. I can try to figure out how it got started by using the basic method he starts out with.” Nix explained.

Applejack nodded and they all looked at the filly who was now tap dancing in the middle of his front room. He approached her and paused several feet from her.

“Be cautious Nix. You are not wrong about the dangers of bringing heavy raw magic against the body and psyche of a filly.”

“Any ideas?” He asked the dragon.

The dragon was quiet and Nix could tell that he was thinking it over. “I would focus on finding out what might have caused the affliction. We would need to know if it was created by an outside force or by something internal.”

“Okay. Apple Bloom?” He said to her and she looked at him as he spoke. “I’m going to cast a spell that will hopefully tell us how you caught the Cutie Pox. If we find out how you caught it then we can try to figure out how to cure it. Okay?”

She looked nervous but a look from her sister had her nodding as the stallion waited. Nix closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to look certain for her as his horn lit with his shared aura, bright blue with sparks of red flame. His aura covered the filly and he focused his magic on the filly. He could hear Twilight and Applejack speaking but he filtered out their voices and went on.

“Ease up.” Kahl advised.

He did as advised and his magic fluctuated slightly as he pulled it back and he kept his eyes focused on the filly, watching her for any sign of pain. She tapped in place and he focused on finding out how she had gotten sick. His magic flowed over her and an image of a flower manifested in his mind and he allowed his magic to ebb and waited as it slowly faded from her and he leaned back on his haunches and breathed slowly.

“Nix?” Twilight’s voice was quiet as he looked back to them.

“Hang on. Let me think.” He said to her and she nodded. “Kahl?”

“It is an outside source that was ingested. She ate something.” Kahl replied quickly. “I do not think it was done to her.”

“Okay. So from what I can tell it was an outside source but was ingested.” He relayed to them.

“What in the…” Applejack said to him.

“She ate something.” He replied quickly.

“It will need to be fixed quickly. This will only get worse quickly.” Kahl added.

“So what did she eat?” He asked the dragon.

“A flower? That is what was shown to us by your magic. It is not possible to know what the flower was exactly.” Kahl admitted.

“So ya ate somethin’?” Applejack asked the filly.

“Any ideas what?” Twilight asked.

“A flower of some kind. I think. It’s not exact but that’s what we were shown.” He replied.

Apple Bloom said nothing as a flash on her flank drew their attention. She looked at them and opened her mouth to speak. "Sacrebleu! Plus de marques de cutie! Qu'est-ce c'est?! Je parle français?!”

“What the?” Twilight said to them.

“French,” Nix replied.

“She’s speakin’ fancy!” Applejack said to them.

“Okay now what?” Nix asked them. “This will get worse faster if we cannot figure out how to get rid of it.”

“What ya mean?”

“Like any illness, it will get worse over time. Normally with being sick you get medicine and it gets better. Without a medicine or a cure wit will only get worse. So we need to get our hooves under us and figure it out.” He replied.

“What about Zecora?” Spike said as he opened the front door and joined them. “She knows about weird things like this.”

“That’s true. She might have a better idea.” Twilight agreed.

“Who?” Nix asked.

“The zebra from Nightmare Night,” Twilight told him and he nodded in reply. “We need to get to her.”

Nix watched as they left his house and sighed as he went to the door and watched them leave. Once they were out of sight he closed the door and his magic picked up the notes on magical healing and he went back downstairs to keep testing the gems he had with him on their capacity to store magic. Happy to return to his own work he settled back down in his basement to test the capacity of a small ruby next.

“Do you think trying to strengthen the biology of the gem itself would be better than just pushing the gem in its natural state?” He asked the dragon.

“We are looking for them to be able to handle the power by themselves so I think we should avoid strengthening them for now.”

“That’s true. Okay as they are it is.” He agreed and went back to testing them on their own.

Nix set aside the ruby shards and huffed at the sight of the broken gemstones in front of him. He had been trying to see which raw gem had the ability to withstand the magic he placed within them. The Unicorn leaned back in his chair and sighed as he scrubbed his face with his hooves. His magic held a scroll and quill as he wrote out his own notes.

“Okay, so alone each one cannot hold much magical essence for very long. Without strengthening the biology of the gems they will break due to the pent up energy inherent in the magical essence stored within it.”

The Unicorn grumbled as his magic set the scroll down. He could hear Kahl chuckling in his mind as he looked to the other gems he had at his disposal. The multicolored prismatic gems from Luna sat close to him and his magic picked up one of the smaller ones. His horn lit up and he pushed back Kahl’s magic to allow him to use only his original Unicorn magic to fill the space within the gemstone. The grey Unicorns horn stayed lit with his aura and he pushed magic gently into the gemstone he held. He trusted Kahl to warn him of the limits since he had no way to tell without the gem beginning to either shake or crack

“It’s full.” Kahl voiced and the Unicorn stopped his magic in response.

“Thanks.” He said as set the gemstone down on the table and waited. “Okay, now we wait to see how long before it breaks.”

His blue eyes stayed on the gemstone as the seconds ticked by. He kept a stopwatch close to mark down the timing. Seconds turned into minutes as the gem sat in place and didn’t show any signs of breaking or shaking. He looked at the stop watch and it had been close to five minutes when the gem began to quiver in place. Nix cringed back as it began to shake more and he could hear the sound of it beginning to crack. He stopped the watch and hid under the desk as the gem shattered.

“Why did you hide?” Kahl as ked him.

“It’s bigger than the others and held more magic. I didn’t want to get hit if it exploded.” He admitted.

“I see.”

Nix stood up and his magic moved the shattered gem into place next to the others and he wrote down the timing on his notes. “Okay, so that one lasted the longest. It may have been due to the larger size but I don’t think that matters in this case.”

“I agree.” Kahl assented. “In this case I think it is due to the gems natural strength. I am curious how she got this many of them.”

“Yeah. Still wondering how she got ahold of any of the gems I was given.” Nix spoke quietly as his eyes fell on the case that held the Dragons Tears. “Not going to touch those though.”

“While I am curious of their strength I do not recommend messing with them until we know more of them.” Kahl said to him.

Nix nodded in reply and his magic moved the case further away from him. The fact that those gems were really the hearts of ancient dragons still brought up raw emotions in him. His heart ached for the dragons that had been taken from their resting places. He focused back on the new information that he had and he knew that without strengthening the germs biology they would not be able to withstand the pressure that came from the magic inside them.

“The best gem comes from your lands but I don’t think that they are readily available so using them is almost a waste of time.”

“How do you figure?”

“We can’t get more if they all break.” Nix reasoned to the dragon. “So using them is pointless. Unless they have a way to get more legally I don’t see how using these can help us.”

“Not using them is not an option. You have already signed up for this project and limiting yourself is not doing all that you can. The Dragons Tears are the exception obviously but these others can be gotten if there is an agreement in place. If they are stolen then I agree that using them is not a viable option. But if they are given freely or bought then they are useable. It depends on the circumstances.” Kahl pointed out.

“Fair point.” Nix admitted grudgingly. “So how do I explain that I know where they came from and that we need to speak to a certain groups of dragons to ask about getting more?”

Kahl chuckled in reply. “We don’t.”

“Huh?”

“We simply inform her that we have discovered the best gem to use and it is one of the ones that Luna gave you. We do not admit to knowing where it came from and we do not tell her we know. That way we admit to nothing and leave it in her court about what to do next.” Kahl said to him, his voice calm.

Nix nodded in understanding as the dragon spoke. “Okay, that makes sense. It’s easier to keep the information to ourselves.”

“And we avoid any clues to our current situation becoming known as well.” Kahl said to him.

“That’s true as well. We can’t let slip that I’m not the only one in my head. I shudder to think what would happen then.”

“I am not sure what would happen but I am sure that it would not be pleasant for us.” Kahl added.

“That’s a certainty.” Nix commented. “I don’t; even want to think about if they would try to separate us. Can that even be done?”

“No. Our magic is attuned and our lives are the same breath. It would be akin to separating the sun in half.”

“Not possible at all.” Nix laughed.

“Precisely.”

Nix chuckled as he set the broken gems aside and was about to set them into a trash can when he paused. He moved the shards back into a pile in front of him. His magic brushed them together and they were soon in three neat piles.

“What are you up to?” Kahl asked him, his curiosity obvious.

“Can we make a gemstone?”

Kahl was silent as the pony spoke and after several seconds he finally replied. “I have never made one personally due to fire tending to melt things but you have my attention.”

“What if we use all the shards left to make a new stone? Maybe we can make one strong enough that we can avoid using the stolen stones from the dragons.”

“That is an intriguing idea. Feel free to test it. You will need to bring a large amount of magic to bear and then use it to create the pressure that will fuse the shards.”

“How much pressure?”

“Enough to fuse them. It happens over millennia in the world around us. The world makes them on its own. Very rarely do ponies or other creatures choose to make them artificially. Mostly due to the difficulty that comes from the action of bringing that much magic to bear.” Kahl informed him.

“You think we can do it?”

Kahl was quiet for a moment as he considered the stallion’s question. “We will not know unless we try. Between the two of us, we should be able to at least come close. Shall we?”

“Lets.”

Nix backed up and their fused magic gripped the first pile of shards on their magic. In his mind, he could feel Kahl’s power rising up as well and he embraced it as the fire began to pour from his magic and it encircled the shards as well. He could feel their magic ballooning around the shards and he forced it to compress inward and onto the shards. Nix brought as much magic as he dared from his own reserves and then forced it to condense further onto the shards in his grip. The flames obscured his vision and he was not able to see the ball of gem shards any longer.

“Talk to me Kahl.” He called out.

“Keep going.”

Nix grunted under the force of the magic that was now swirling in front of him. He looked around he could see that fire was spreading around them but it did not burn anything in the room, it was simply there if needed. He could sense its power standing in the wings should it be needed and he could feel the power that came from the dire within the earth itself. His mind focused their magic and he strove to bring more pressure onto the shards, his mind recalling what Kahl had said about the pressure within the earth doing the work of creating the gemstones.

“More Nix.”

Nix poured more magic into the sphere he had made and he began to try to make it smaller still. It was currently close to two feet wide and he began to force it to shrink, increasing the pressure within it. His eyes squinted as the light from the magic became blinding and he was forced to look away. He could feel the pressure on his horn increasing as the magic flowed from him. His hooves gripped the floor as he could feel the ground under him starting to vibrate slightly.

“Pull that magic as tight inward as you can and hold it. I will tell you when to start to pull it back.”

Nix nodded and began to do as he had been told. He commanded his magic to become smaller and make the sphere of magic even smaller. His eyes were still tightly closed so he was not sure how small it ended up being. His magic shuddered through him as he kept trying to make it smaller and keep control at the same time.

“Pull back.”

Nix sighed as he began to release his magic and it slowly returned to him as his eyes opened once more. He watched as the light faded and the fire that had gone around the room came back to him and he fought to stay standing as his body shook. As his magic pulled back He could sense Kahl’s strength go through him to keep him standing upright.

“Well done.” Kahl praised him.

“We did it?”

“We did. Look at your creation.” Kahl advised.

Nix’s aura still held the gemstone and he pulled the magic close to him, allowing him to look at the gem he had made. It was a kaleidoscope of colors and it glittered in the light. The edges were rough and sharp but he knew that could be fixed in time.

“Wow. It’s pretty good sized.”

“About half the size of your hoof.” Kahl estimated to him.

“Not bad for a first try.” Nix replied. “It’s actually kind of pretty.”

“It has its own appeal I agree.” Kahl agreed. “Now you can test it at a later time. Your magic is low and you need to rest to regain your strength. Unless you wish to drain yourself completely.”

“No thank you. I did that once when I was a kid and vowed to never do it again.” Nix replied with a shake of his head.

Nix went back to the table and set the hoof made gem on the table beside the small piles of shards. He regarded the gemstone he had made and then looked to the others that were still sitting in place.

“Hoping they can hold more than the dragon gems?”

“Am I that obvious?”

“We share one mind. It’s safe to safe I know what you were thinking for the most part. But I also know you well enough to know what you were thinking.” Kahl admitted with a chuckle.

“Hmm.” Nix said nothing in reply and picked up the gems and placed them back into the lockbox and locked it behind him. He left the hoof made gem on the table next to the piles of shards.

The grey stallion finished cleaning up his lab and started for the stairs. He paused as his thoughts fell to the Dragons Tears that were inside the lockbox as well. “Hey, Kahl?”

“Yes?”

“Are we to the point where we can try to find out who those Dragons are?”

“Do you wish to start trying to know them?”

“I keep thinking that I would want to be known if it were me. That way we can find out what to do. We can know who to talk to about how they got out of the crypt.”

“Very well. We can start in the coming days. We can also look for a good volcano to ask Mitsu or the others to check on the rest of them. In time we will know what happened to them. Knowing the type of each dragon will allow us to know where they came from.”

Nix nodded and went up to the stairs into the hallway. He locked the basement door and started for the bedroom. He paused and looked over his shoulder to the basement door. He knew what sat in the lockbox down the stairs and a part of his heart ached for the dragons that had been taken. In his mind, he could sense that he was not the only one whose thoughts fell to them.

13: A Message sent

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Nix held the jewel box carefully as he set it down on the tabletop. “Okay, so we are going to find out which Elemental these come from by touching each one? Right?”

“Yes. I think it will be the easiest way to ascertain where the majority if not all come from. That will allow us to know who they got past to access the Halls of the Dead.” Kahl replied.

“Great.” Nix cursed under his breath. “Okay, and the first one I touched before was this one.” He said as he levitated the one out of its place and set it on the table.

“That is from Mitsu’s line.” Kahl supplied.

“Okay, so one for Mitsu.” The stallion levitated a clipboard in their magic and added a check next to Mitsu’s name. “Next.”

Nix reached out and carefully picked up the next gem in line and braced for it to bite him as the first had done. When nothing happened he tossed it up from his hoof and held it in his magic for Kahl to check over.

“Ice.”

“Got it.” He added the check next to the name and he set the gem down and picked up the next.

“Mitsu.”

“Okay.” He set it down and picked up the next.

“Suki.”

“Got it.” He set it aside and checked the paper as his magic levitated the next one.

“Joren. He was my predecessor.”

Nix wrote down the name and set the gem aside as he picked up the next one and held it aloft.

“Predecessor to Suki, Lomen.”

Nix wrote it down and set the gem aside. He picked up all of the gems and waited as Kahl went through them. As time went by he wrote down each name and added checks to each one to show where the majority of the gems had come from. When they were done he set the gems back into their cushioned box and pushed them aside as he added up the tallies.

“Okay, so Mitsu and Suki are the ones that they come from the most. When was the last time you were around anypony else?”

“Over a hundred years ago.” Kahl admitted.

“Geez.”

“We are not required to meet often unless it is needed.”

“Can anypony summon the group of you together?”

“The dragons of our lines can and the Lord of Dragons is able to call on us if he should need us. But that is even rarer and uncommon of an occurrence.” Kahl replied. “Torch does his own thing and leaves us to our own devices. I think he called on us once in his reign so far.”

“How would they get past the guards you mentioned?” Nix asked. “Can one of you get past them?”

“I can get past mine if I wish to but the others I cannot. Unless I had the permission of the dragon they belong to then they would react to me the same as an intruder.”

“Great. Why can’t you guys get along like adults?”

Kahl barked a laugh. “We get along just enough to keep our natural elements in balance with each other. Beyond that is like asking oil and vinegar to get along.”

“Or just fire and water,” Nix grumbled.

“True. Now we are faced with the reality that Mitsu and Suki are the ones that have been robbed the most often. We have to tell them.” Kahl reasoned. “Our options are limited. We can either go to them in person or send them a message through the world itself.”

“And which is faster?”

“Without wings?”

“Yeah,” Nix replied. He still felt bad about Kahl not being able to fly anymore and tried to ignore the sound of longing in the dragons tone. “So a message?”

“Yes. We need a dormant volcano or an active one.”

“We aren’t to the point where we can use water or earth yet?”

“Unfortunately not. We are near to that point but we are running out of time. The longer we delay the higher the chance of more thefts.”

Nix cringed and nodded in understanding. “Okay, so a dormant volcano. I can ask Twilight if there is one close by. I don’t know the local geography.”

“That could work.” Kahl agreed.

Nix was quiet as he made his way to the basement stairs and closed the door behind him. His hoovers carried him through the front room and out the front door, which he locked behind him. The midnight blue stallion broke into a trot as he made his way toward the Library.

“Hopefully she’s home.” He muttered as he stopped at the door to knock.

His hoof thudded dully against the thick wooden door. The door swung open as Twilight smiled at the sight of him.

“Hey, Nix.”

“Hey. I have a geographical question for you.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

“I need the nearest dormant volcano that is not the one Canterlot is on.” He explained.

“Do I want to know why?” She asked him with a tilt of her head.

“Research purposes.” He replied quickly.

She looked unconvinced as she motioned him into the Library. “Okay, so we need a geographical map and maybe a geography textbook.”

He nodded as her magic began to pull various books from the shelves. He said nothing as they were sat down on a table in the center of the room. The Unicorn mare looked at the covers of several books as they levitated around her and some were sent back to their respective shelves. A map was pulled out from the wall and laid over the top of the table and he looked over it as she brought over several thick textbooks.

“Okay, so this is a map of Equestria and has the mountain ranges in detail. The mountain that Canterlot is attached to is part of the main range. So within that range should be another volcano. Why in Equestria do you need a dormant volcano?”

He was quiet as he considered how to respond. “Kahl? Little help?”

“You need the volcanic rock to create a gemstone that might hold more magic than the ones you have.” The dragon replied easily.

“Oh that’s a good one. And not a total lie since that sounds like a good idea.” He replied and looked to the mare. “I need to get some volcanic rock that is deeper in the ground for testing.”

“Testing what?”

“I am wondering if I can make a gemstone that can hold more magic and be more resilient than the normal gems that I have been using.” He said to her with a shrug of his shoulders.

“That could be interesting.” She agreed and began to look over the notes and the map.

He nodded and leaned over the table to look over the maps with her. She suddenly pointed to a picture on the map and then began to flip through one of the books. “Here we go. It’s a bit of a hike but it should do what you need. I don’t see why you can’t use mount Canterhorn.”

“I will be using a magic spell to get the rocks from deeper in the cauldron and I don’t want to mess with the biggest mountain that could still go active anytime.” He replied quickly.

“Oh. What type of magic are you using that could affect a dormant volcano?” She questioned.

He could feel a bit of the blood drain from his face at her questioning. “Buck me.” He cursed to the dragon who he could hear chuckling.

“Inform her that you found a spell in some of the notes and you will be testing it.” Kahl replied through laughter.

“I found a spell in some of the notes and I will be testing it out.” He said to the mare and it seemed to assuage her.

“Hmm.”

He looked at where she was pointing and he pulled out a scroll to sketch out where she was pointing. He wrote down the details and the midnight blue Unicorn leaned back when he finished writing and sighed as he looked to the mare with him.

“Thanks for the help. I had no idea where to start looking. I did not do as well in the geography portion of the class.” He admitted with a chuckle.

She smiled and her horn illuminated as she returned the materials back to their places. “It’s not a problem. Anytime you need help just ask.” She said to him as he got up from where he was sitting. “You’ll have to let me know how that spell works.”

“When I get it right I will try to make it easy to use later on.” He said to her as he made for the door. “Thank you again.”

“Good luck Nix.” She said to him as he opened the door.

“I might need all the good luck I can get.” He replied to her with a laugh.

“Okay so how do we get to this mountain without it taking days?” Nix asked the dragon as he stood in the basement.

“We can use the flames to transport us faster if you wish to try them.” Kahl replied.

“They can do that?”

“Of course. If I did not wish to fly then I didn’t have to. I used the internal flames of the world to move from place to place.”

“Sounds pretty cool actually,” Nix admitted. “Okay, so how does it work?”

“You must focus on where you wish to be, similar to how you teleport. But instead of using your magic you will be using my flames alone. So first you have to push your magic back and use only the flames of the world.” Kahl informed him.

“Okay so push back my Unicorn magic and focus only on fire?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Okay, give me a second.”

Nix reached inward and pushed back his natural magic and brought the other half of their magic forward. He could feel the warmth of the flames spread over him as he called on it alone. He looked up as his horn was covered in fire and it crackled around and over him. His eyes widened at the sight of the flames around him and he breathed in to calm his own nerves.

“Okay. Now what?”

“Now it is my turn. You cannot call on the roads to open alone. Let me handle that part. I will need control for a moment.”

“Go ahead.”

He could feel his mind go hazy for several seconds and then he was looking out his own eyes as his body moved. He watched as a symbol was drawn on the ground and the earth opened ahead of him. Nix was quiet as the image went hazy once more and he was back in control.

“That was weird.” The pony related back to the dragon.

“I’m sure it was.”

“And now that we have opened a large hole in my basement?”

“Focus your power outward. You are reaching out to the world itself. By doing that you will be able to call on the inner roads of the world. Focus on where you wish to be and when you think you’re ready, fall forward.”

“Fall forward? Into a gaping hole with no bottom? Are you nuts?”

“Trust what I tell you to do.” The dragon reassured him.

Nix groaned as he closed his eyes and focused on the mountain that he had in mind. He could feel the world around him shift as he reached out to the fires within it and he slowly allowed himself to tip forward. His body fell forward and he shouted as he fell into nothing. He could feel warmth flow over him as he was suddenly in motion. The feeling of heat went over him in waves and he dared not open his eyes just in case. The heat grew on his skin and he managed not to cringe as he held onto his destination in his mind.

“Well done.” Kahl said to him as the feeling of movement faded and the heat faded.

“Did we make it?” He asked, his voice quiet.

“Look around you.”

He opened his eyes slowly and looked around to see the dormant volcano around him. “Holy shit I did it.”

“You did well. I admit I am surprised you took to it as easily as you did.” Kahl praised.

“You say that but I am pretty sure you had to help in the directions.”

“I might have. But for the first time, I am impressed you were able to put your fear of the flames aside as well as you did.”

“I kept my eyes firmly closed or you would have lost me. I can only assume the road we just used is made of it.”

“That’s true. But you were still able to focus and get us to where we needed to be.”

“Did it get hotter in there or was it just me?”

“It did the deeper you went. None of the paths are straight and they follow the path of the fire that flows through the world.”

“It’s never that easy.”

Kahl chuckled in his mind as the stallion shook his head. “Of course not. It would hardly be worth doing if it was always easy.”

“You have a point. Okay so how do we send a message?”

“Now to send a message we will need to open the earth once more.”

“You need me to back off for that?”

“No. This time you can accomplish it without me. All you need to do is place a hoof on the ground and let my power flow into the ground and it will open for you.”

“Okay.”

Nix did as instructed and set his hoof on the ground. He pushed Kahl’s power through his body and into the ground under his hoof and he felt the mountain around him shudder and he went still.

“Keep going.” Kahlo assured him. “I will warn you if the mountain is becoming unstable.”

“Got it.”

Nix went back to his task and began to push more power into the ground as the mountain shuddered once more under his hooves. He paused as pressure built under his hoof and began to raise from the ground.

“Mold it into the image you wish it to be or it will mold to what I use.” Kahl advised.

Nix swirled his hoof as the earth rose up under his touch. He pushed pieces out as he moved it and then pulled his hoof away as it stood at his height. In front of him, a dais stood, though rough in its design. The top of it resembled a compass while it stretched tall in front of him.

“That will work.” Kahl said to him.

“Now what?”

“Now we will need to use the blood of the world to send the message to the others. Call on the living flame from the earth through the dais you made and it will carry the message. I will channel through you to it to assign it to reach each of the others. While you and I share one form the power to address each of them needs to come from me, or they might ignore it.”

“Understood.”

Nix could feel Kahl’s spirit within his mind as the dragon began to use the power he had to begin addressing each of the other dragons. Nix began to call out to the lava in the world and he looked nervous as it bubbled up through the dais he had made. It swirled like liquid metal in the center of it and he watched it, fascinated by how it didn’t melt what he had made.

“Nix?”

“Right.” He startled and began to form the message in his mind. “Okay. So just let them know that the Dragons Tears have been found outside of their tombs?”

“That’s blunt enough to get their attention.”

“Yeah, but will they believe it? I mean I don’t think the same way you do so the message will be different.”

“They will recognize that it is me since I am adding my signature to the messages. Do not worry about them ignoring the message.”

Nix gave a slight nod and went back to the molten lava. He knew that it should have been giving off enough heat to burn him but he didn’t feel any pain from it and he knew that he had been changed more by their Pact than he thought. He formulated his thoughts into a clear message and he watched as the lava moved in an easy circle as he inscribed his message onto it.

“Okay done.”

He could feel warmth flow over him as Kahl came forward and his vision went hazy for several seconds as the dragon sent the messages. When his vision cleared he leaned back on his haunches as the dais melted and returned to where it had come from.

“All set?” He asked the dragon. “How will we know if they have anything to say about what we told them?”

Kahl was quiet as he seemed to consider what the stallion has asked. “They will send a reply directly to us.”

“So a tornado could show up in Ponyville?”

“No. Suki is far too subtle for that. No, he will send a whisper on the wind. Mitsu will send a small quake most likely. One that is barely felt if at all. You act as though we have little control over what the Element we control are able to do. You know better than that.”

“That’s true. Sorry. And Ice?”

“Ice will send a chill of cold at least. He might send out hail just to be an ass.”

"Lovely,” Nix replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“I did warn you about him.” Kahl replied.

Nix shook his head and sighed as the dragon spoke. “Will they notice that I sent that message? I mean that it was sent by a pony and not a dragon?”

“If they wish to analyze the message they might.”

“And if they did?”

“You might end up with three dragons landing in Ponyville.”

“Oh, Goddess.”

“That is if they choose to check into the message and where it came from. Otherwise, they will reach out in the ways I have mentioned.”

“Great. Just wonderful. So worst-case scenario is I have three dragons landing near Ponyville, which might lead to us being found out by everypony.”

“That is the worst that could happen.” Kahl agreed.

“Wonderful. I assume we get back home the same way we came?”

“Yes.” Kahl informed him. “Can you get us back easily?”

“Ha-ha. You had to help last time. I’m a quick study but not that quick.” Nix replied.

“I helped out some. You are more than capable of the return trip, but I will help as needed.”

“Careful. You’re in danger of sounding thrilled.” Nix teased,

He heard the dragon huff at his teasing and he began to call on the earth flames to take them home.

14: Dragons and Gatherings...

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“You’re sure this isn’t going to blow up in our faces?” Nix questioned as Twilight’s magic held a small vial of purple liquid.

“It’ll be fine. I am certain that this will mix well and create a glue-like consistency.” Twilight replied to him.

He blinked and looked uncertain as she tipped the vial and it flowed from the vial into the beaker glass container and he watched as it mixed and turned a green color. He gave a quiet sigh of relief and couldn’t help but wonder what had possessed him to agree to help her with an experiment.

“You are a glutton for punishment and she promised you dinner.” Kahl informed him.

“Shush.” He replied quickly, even though the dragon was technically right.

He looked back to the mare as she picked up a red vial and his eyes widened. “No, no don’t…”

BOOM!

Nix was pushed off his chair from the small explosion and he coughed as he pushed himself into a sitting position and patted his chest and forelegs. “Are we in one piece?” He asked Kahl as the dragon laughed.

“Yes. We are fine.” He assured him as he chuckled.

“Everypony alive?” He called out as he pushed himself to his hooves.

“I’m okay,” Twilight said as she got up from the ground as well. “I was not ready for that. But you did try to stop me.”

“Yeah. We can see how well that worked.” He complained. “I was going to say that, that chemical will explode when put in contact with the current mixture.”

She looked sheepish and his horn lit as he began to clean up the table with her. He looked up as Spike came down the stairs and looked at them both.

“What did she blow up this time?” He asked, his voice tired.

“Nothing…big.” She defended.

“This time?” Nix repeated. “What does he mean this time?”

“It’s nothing. Just an accident.” She replied.

“You okay Nix?” Spike asked as he came around the table to regard the stallion.

“Yeah. My fur is the same color and I think I have all the fur on my face still so it’s already better than the last time I was involved in a science experiment with her.” He answered as the baby dragon giggled behind his claws.

Nix’s magic picked up the chair he had been sitting in and replaced other small items that had survived the blast. He was careful of the broken glass as Twilights magic began to clean it up and he stayed out of the way so she could see.

“I would advise against allowing her to mix chemicals again. Unless you are tired of your fur not being on fire.” Kahl said to him. “If you wish your fur to be on fire I can teach you how to do that.”

“Yeah no.” He said.

“No what?” Spike asked him.

Nix was quiet as he realized that he had spoken aloud and he heard Kahl laugh in his mind. “I was just telling myself that she’s not allowed to mix the chemical again. Two explosions is a trend, not a coincidence.” He covered quickly as he looked at the sheepish mare.

She gave a nervous smile and picked up her own chair and set it in place. “It was an accident.”

“If you had listened to me this would not have happened.” He argued.

“Ugh.” She groaned and glared at him. “I am sorry I knocked you out of your chair. But you’re in research and development. Experiments are part of research. Accidents happen.”

“Don’t drag my job into this. I don’t mix things without thinking about what they could do. Maybe if you had stopped long enough to ask my opinion then I would not have needed to shout and neither of us would have been tossed out of our seats and to the floor.” He countered quickly.

“Easy.” Kahl said to him, a chuckle in his tone.

“You were never this sensitive to it before.” She argued.

“I don’t think us being in grade school counts. You blew things up then to if you recall. Though this time you did manage to not burn my nose or change my fur color so this is a noticeable improvement over last time.”

“Ugh.” Twilight grained again and her horn moved the broken glass into a trash bin.

“Don’t ugh me.” Nix groaned. “You asked me to help and then you blow things up. I think I’m allowed to be a bit miffed.”

Twilight put her hooves over her face and dragged them down her face to look at him. “I’m sorry.”

“Forgiven.” He said and sat down with a grin.

She blinked several times at him as he regarded her cheerfully. “You…What…Ohh.”

“Yeah not mad. I just wanted to argue with you and see what happened.” He admitted.

Spike laughed as he patted the stallion on the leg and made for the stairs again. “He got you Twilight.”

“Yeah, he did.” She admitted and began to laugh.

“Now what?” He asked her.

“Now I think I owe you dinner. Any preference?” She asked him.

“Nothing comes to mind. I’d eat my chair at this point though so I’ll eat anything.”

“Alfalfa curry?”

He blanched and looked over to her. “How spicy is it?”

“Spike doesn’t like really spicy so it’s pretty mild.” She admitted.

“Oh perfect. If he can eat it so can I.” He replied with a smile.

“Come on.” She smiled and motioned for him to follow her up the stairs and out of the lab.

Nix walked quietly back home after having dinner with Twilight and Spike.

“Feel better after overeating?” Kahl teased.

“You’re just jealous you can’t eat it.” He replied.

“I can taste it through you if I choose. I just have no desire to eat hay.” He countered.

“And I don’t like heavily seasoned meat. But I eat it every now and then for you.”

“And I appreciate that. But I still have no desire to taste hay.” The dragon replied.

“You’re missing out. That was delicious.”

“Somehow I’ll get over the disappointment of not tasting it.” Kahl replied, sarcasm in his voice.

He was about to tease the dragon further when a chill wind made him freeze in place and he shivered as it went over him. He waited as the air warmed up once more and he took a few halting steps. “That was really cold.”

“That was actually Suki.” Kahl said to him.

“Really?”

“Yes. It seems he finally decided to reply to the message we sent two days ago.” Kahl replied.

“Did he have to freeze me solid?”

“Probably not but I knew he would. He knows I hate that.”

“Well I second that I hate that too.” Nix said and he began to walk forward. “So what about the others?”

“We should be getting their reply within the next twelve hours or so.”

“Goodie.” Nix replied as he began to walk forward once more. “I just want to flop down on the couch and die for a minute.”

“I tried to tell you that you were eating too much.”

“I know you did but I didn’t listen since it was good.”

He heard the dragon sigh as they got closer to home and he unlocked the front door and walked inside. He pushed the door closed and it locked behind him as he made his way to the couch and flopped down on it and sighed, contentedly. He was about to speak when the sound of rain caught his attention. He rolled up to sit and looked at the closest window as the rain drummed against it for several seconds. It faded as quickly as it had come and he blinked for a second afterward.

“Ice?”

“Yes. He is asking for a meeting.”

“He probably doesn’t like that somepony grave robbed his relatives.” Nix pointed out. “I seem to recall how you reacted.”

“Imagine it in a dragon my size or slightly smaller.”

Nix shuddered and gave a little squeak of apprehension. “That would be terrifying.”

“I imagine it would have been. It makes you glad you did not deliver the message personally.”

“I’m thrilled we sent a note.” He admitted and laid back on the couch. “Now we just need Mitsu to say hi.”

“He will in time.”

“NIX!”

Phoenix sat up abruptly with a loud gasp and looked around the room. “What happened?”

“A slight tremor went through the world.”

“Oh?”

“Mitsu has sent word.”

“Oh well, that’s good then. Hang on.” He said and breathed out a breath. “Give me a sec to put my heart back in place. Did you have to scare the hell out of me?”

Kahl didn’t reply and Nix sighed as his heart rate calmed and he scrubbed his face with his hooves. He pushed the blankets back and moved his legs off the side of the bed.

“Have you recovered?” Kahl asked him, sarcasm in his voice.

A sour look crossed Nix’s face and he sighed. “Yeah. I’m good.”

“Mitsu is specifically asking about my location. I think it is time we simply met with them and crossed the bridge about telling them our circumstances now.” Kahl replied.

“You’re kidding?”

“No. I think now is the best time. We have the information they need about the Dragons Tears and the odds of us being turned to ash are slim at best.”

“But we still could.”

“It’s a slim chance. But do you wish to send repeated short messages about them or alert them in person?”

“Can’t be one big message?”

“No. It doesn’t work that way. The message we sent was short which was a good thing since I had forgotten to mention it.” Kahl admitted.

Nix sighed and fell back onto the sheets and laid still. “So we really need to go to them?”

“Yes. They are also calling on a meeting. Unless you wish them to come to us.”

Nix sat up with a gasp and shook his head. “Yeah no. Hell no. That would get us caught so fast.”

“Precisely. Now what do you wish to do?”

“Okay, so we need to go to them. How?”

“We would use the same method as before to go to my lair. From there it is easy enough to meet up with the others. It seems they will already be there ahead of us. That will give us time to speak with Mitsu and have him on our side before we meet with the others.”

“Okay, that makes sense. You’re going to have to guide us this time around though. I don’t know where you live.”

“Understood. I will take care of getting us there.”

“Can we leave in the morning?”

“I assumed that we would ask Twilight to watch the house while we are gone. I am not sure how long it will take.” Kahl advised.

“Good idea. I forgot all about it.”

He turned and crawled back under his blankets and tried to go back to sleep. As he laid in silence he could not help but feel a bit of fear in his stomach as he considered that he would be meeting with a group of dragons that were older than him and far more powerful. While he had Kahl he was afraid that the dragon within him would not be able to stop them from killing them.

“Don’t worry about that. All we need to do is get Mitsu behind us and the other two will defer to him. I may be the youngest but Mitsu does not allow in fighting if he can prevent it. From what I can tell from his message he is upset by what we have found. Normally he is pretty mellow but when riled he will act quickly. It will be fine.” Kahl assured him.

“What do I tell her?”

“A version of the truth. We are going to be out of town and we need her to watch the house until our return. If she asks what you are doing tell her that you are researching something and will be back later.” Kahl supplied.

“Okay, that sounds fairly accurate at least. I don’t like lying to her.” He replied.

“I know. Normally I would say for you to tell her the truth but she is meant to be kept in the dark for now.” Kahl commented. “When the time comes I will help you explain to her about our circumstances.”

“You will?”

“Of course. There are two of us and we are to be one mind in our choices. In time we will both be ready, to tell the truth to her and others.”

Nix sighed and he felt himself begin to relax thanks to the dragon's words. “Sounds good.”

Nix slid the Dragons Tears into his saddlebags and then buckled them into place on his barrel. He rolled his shoulders to get the bags to sit in the right place and made for the basement stairs. He glanced at the locked vault and made his way back to it to put his horn in place to lock it further. He was pretty sure Twilight would not invade it but he knew that she had a deep love of anything Starswirl so he was cautious.

“Do not trust her to leave it alone?”

“It’s not a lack of trust. She tends to lose sight of things when it comes to Starswirl and all things about him. I just don’t want to try to explain to her why I have a failed research project of his that deals in blood rituals.” He countered. “Can you imagine that conversation?”

“It would be amusing for me to hear.” Kahl replied with a laugh.

“Glad to know one of us would be amused.” Nix groused as he went up the basement stairs and locked it behind him.

The midnight blue Unicorn made for the front door and his magic enveloped his horn as he checked all the windows and pulled the blinds. Their magic pushed open the door and he locked it tight and kept the key in his saddlebag to give to Twilight. His hooves carried him at a brisk trot to the Library and he rapped his hoof on the front door. It swung open a few moments later to reveal the purple Unicorn.

“Hi, Nix. You’re out early.” She observed.

“Yeah. Usually, I’m working but I‘m heading out of town for a while to do some research and I was hoping you could watch the house just in case.” He said to her.

She smiled and nodded at him. “Sure. Do you want me to stay in it or…?”

“Nah. You don’t need to stay in it if you don’t want to. It’s pretty bare at the moment so you would need food if you did. Just check it every now and then to make sure the door is locked and the windows aren’t broken and we will call it good.” Nix informed her.

“What are you out looking for this time? Last time it was volcanic rocks.”

“Oh. Yeah I got what I needed that little trip. No, this time it’s for the same project just different locations.” He lied smoothly to her even as he cringed on the inside about the lie.

The mare nodded and smiled. “It’s no problem to watch the house. I think you’re a little paranoid about ponies going into it but I will watch over it for you.”

“Thanks. I’ll owe you one.” He said to her.

“Just let me use your lab every now and then and we are even.” She laughed.

“I can agree with that. Just give me a warning so I’m not needing that day. Otherwise, I have no issue with you using it.” He assured her and backed up to leave. “Thanks again Twilight.”

“Good luck.” She called out as he broke into a trot and made for the Everfree.

“Okay so once we get to the Everfree we can use clearing to move through the world okay?”

“Or you can teleport there and make things simpler.” Kahl pointed out and the stallion came to a halt with a sour expression.

“Right.” His horn lit up with their shared magic and he vanished in a flash of magic and sparks.

Nix opened his eyes and found them to be at the edge of the Everfree and he broke into a trot as he followed the main path into the forest. “Okay, how deep do you think we need to go into it to stay out of sight?”

“Not too far. If you reach out with your senses you can sense if another pony is close by.”

“Oh right. I forgot all about it.”

He sent out his senses and he could sense deer and other creatures around them but no ponies. He gave a relieved sigh and trotted onto a game trail and followed it for several minutes until it came into a clearing.

“Here we go. Will this work?”

“It should work fine. Open the earth and I will take over from there.” Kahl said to him and he nodded.

Nix came to a stop and he pushed back his Unicorn magic and pulled Kahl’s flames to the front. He focused on the inner roads that Kahl had described and he watched as the earth began to open slightly and he could feel Kahl adding in his own power to help him. Once it was open his magic pulled back and his horn went dormant.

“Okay, your turn.” He said to the dragon and he closed his eyes to make it easier for the dragon.

Kahl opened his eyes and he could see the rent earth in front of him and he could sense Nix’s mind had been safely pushed back. He called on the flames of the world and they flowed over him. He could sense a bit of fear from Nix as they flowed over their body and into the ground under his hooves. He pitched their body forward and into the earth. He could feel the fear in Nix’s mind and he reached out to soothe him as he closed his eyes to keep the pony calm. He could feel the warmth of the earth on his fur and though he wished to open his eyes he did not want to cause Nix to panic. AS they came to a stop he opened his eyes once more and he looked around them to see the wide cavern that he had called his lair for many years.

“Wow.” Nix spoke to him. “You could have warned me that it was huge.”

Kahl chuckled as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fade into the background to give Nix control once more.

Nix opened his eyes and he looked around them as a whistle pulled from his lips as he looked around him in awe. He walked slowly forward and he looked up to the ceiling that was well over a few stories above him. The cavern was wide and he paused at the sight of a fire monster across the room. He felt fear pulse through him as it turned toward him and began to move in his direction.

“You are in no danger from it. You carry my blood and I created them. They are meant to guard my lair and will not permit any within it. You and I are the same being so they are no threat to you.” Kahl assured him.

Nix gave a quiet noise and began to walk slowly toward it. It veered off to the side and went in another direction from him and he breathed out a sigh of relief and kept walking.

“Veer slightly right and you will see a grand door in front of you.” Kahl instructed.

“Got it.” He replied and did as the dragon instructed.

He broke into a lope and covered more ground at an easy pace. He looked up as a pair of doors loomed above him as he approached them. He slowed to a walk as he reached them and he placed a hoof against the door and gave a slight push. When nothing happened he was not overly shocked and he waited for Kahl to tell him what to do next.

“You will need to use my flames to send a message to him asking him to let us in. It’s simply a courtesy but one that we all uphold.” Kahl said to him. “Take my flames within your horn and focus on the Element of the Earth and he will hear you.”

“Right.”

Nix did as he was instructed and he focused on the Element of Earth and he startled at the sound of stone grating against itself and he opened his eyes as the doors began to open. He walked inside as they opened enough for him to fit through and he trotted inside. He could see the cavern was the same size as Kahl’s but there were Earth elementals rumbling through it. He felt apprehension spike through him at the sight of them but they ignored him due to the dragon with him. He looked up at the sound of something large moving and a dragon came into his view.

Mitsu stood across from him and the dragon tilted his head at the sight of him. Nix watched as the dragon came more into his view and it eyed him warily. Its scales were a mud brown with what looked like rocks moving over his scales at all times. Nix was about to speak when a look of rage crossed the dragon's face and it roared as it charged him.

“NIX!” Kahl’s voice echoed through him as he froze.

Kahl pushed Nix’s mind back as he took control once more. His body was covered in flames as the other dragon charged him. Flame flowed over his body as he sent a command to the flames in the world to protect him and they erupted from the ground under Mitsu’s body, throwing him off his paws. The other dragon roared and looked at the flame covered pony and a look of curiosity crossed his face. He rolled to his paws and once more regarded the flame wreathed stallion.

“Kahlem?”

“I am here, Mitsu,” Kahl replied, his voice loud and it echoed against the walls of the cavern.

The dragon came toward him and lowered his head to look at the pony in front of him. Kahl said nothing and stayed still as the other dragons' warm breath went over his fur. He could feel Nix in the back of his mind and he kept the pony’s mind safely pushed back as he worked on the dragon in front of them.

“You have some explaining to do, I should think,” Mitsu said to him as he pulled his head back, satisfied that he was indeed speaking with the Element of Fire.

“I know. That is why I came here first.” Kahl admitted and sat down on the stone floor. “If you will indulge me I will explain how I came to be in this form.”

Mitsu backed up and laid down in front of him. “Please.”

Nix opened his eyes and he reeled back onto his back at the sight of the dragon laying quietly in front of him. “Holy…!”

“You’re safe. He knows.” Kahl said to him as the pony scrambled backward.

“Oh.” He stopped and regarded the silent dragon ahead of him.

“Welcome to my domain Arisen Phoenix,” Mitsu said to him, a slight smile on his muzzle.

“Thank you.” Nix squeaked out and cleared his throat as he got o his hooves and walked back toward the dragon to sit closer to avoid yelling at him.

“You are safe in my domain and you are forever welcome here.” The dragon said to him.

Nix went quiet as a smile began to tug at his mouth at the dragon's welcome. “Thank you for that. I’m sorry for intruding earlier.”

“That was not your fault. I did not know that Kahlem had been reduced in his size so the sight of you was startling to me. I ask you to forgive my attack on you earlier.”

Nix smiled as the dragon apologized. “No harm is done. I assume Kahl did something to stop it since I’m not dead.”

“He threw me off my paws with the aid of the world’s fire. A move that I had taught him when he was young. It assured me of who he was and ended the fight before it began.” Mitsu disclosed.

Nix cringed and he heard a chuckle from the dragon in his mind. “Well it worked but I think there are easier ways to tell you who we are.”

“Perhaps. But a demonstration of power is often the fastest and carries the most weight.” Mitsu said top him. “But enough of that. I trust you are the one that sent the message to us about our honored dead?”

“Yes. I was the author once Kahl taught me how. I have the gems with me to prove it.” Nix said as their magic pulled the box of gems from his saddlebags.

“I believe you. Kahl spoke of them and I do not require proof of their location. The others might but the fact that they are with you lends much credence to your claims.” Mitsu said with a dismissive wave of his paw. “The fact that a Princess of yours has them is concerning. How she came to possess them is something that we will need to look into. Did she say anything about them?”

“No. They came to me in a box of other gems that I was going to use for a project. When I picked them up there was a note from Princess Celestia and it told me that Princess Luna thought they would be helpful to me so she had them sent to me.” Nix explained.

“I see,” Mitsu said and leaned his chin into one of his paws. “I would greatly love to know how she came upon them.”

“I’m sure you would.” Nix agreed and set the case of Dragons Tears on the ground in front of his hooves.

“Kahl mentioned you had written down how many came from each of us. May I know how many of mine are missing?” Mitsu asked.

Nix could hear the sadness in the dragon’s voice as he nodded and reached into his saddlebags for the scroll with the tally marks on it. “Umm. Seven. Of the eighteen gems, seven of them are yours.” Nix provided.

Mitsu inhaled at the number and sorrow crossed his face as he closed his eyes. “How many altogether?”

“Eighteen.” He replied and waited as the dragon processed the information. “There were seven from you, three from Ice, six from Suki, one from Joren, and one from Lomen.”

“So many escaped us without our knowledge. Be thankful you do not feel this pain yourself Kahlem.” Mitsu said as he opened his large eyes and regarded the pony.

“I feel for you Mitsu. While I may not have descendants of my own they are mine through you and the others.” Kahl replied and Nix parroted the dragon’s words.

“We must let others know what has happened and bring this knowledge to them now. I will stay with you when they come to my lair. You will have the strength of the Earth to add to your own. I do not doubt that Kahlem can keep them under control if needed. But I will be there as well.”

Nix nodded as Kahl gave an assenting noise. “Probably a good thing,” Nix admitted. “I have been told a few things about Suki and Ice from Kahl but that’s just from his perspective.”

“Kahlem is a good judge of character but he is also as fiery as his element. He tends to clash with the others.” Mitsu replied.

“They start it but I finish it,” Kahl growled and Nix spoke for him.

Mitsu sighed and shook his head. “I advise allowing your Pact mate to speak for you. He seems to have a calmer temperament.”

Kahl grumbled as Nix tried to avoid looking at the mud scaled dragon. Mitsu opened his mouth to speak and then stopped as he looked to the great doors behind them.

“They are here.” He said to them.

Nix felt dread edge into his mind and Kahl overlaid his own calm over the stallion's mind. “It is time for this to begin.” He said and Nix gave a little nod in reply as his horn lit and the Dragons Tears were placed back in his saddlebags.

“Stay by my side little pony and I will help you as I can,” Mitsu said as he got to his paws and looked at the great doors. “Are you ready?”

Nix loped into place beside the dragon and looked up and gave a short nod. “Yeah.” He whispered out and his eyes stared as the doors opened.

15: Behind the Doors...

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Phoenix tried not to be terrified as the great gates opened and a dragon walked through. He was not sure exactly who it was but based on their appearance he could guess easily enough. A dragon close to Mitsu’s size walked into the room. His scales were blue and they seemed to be covered in a layer of water. His head was broader than Mitsu's and his stride was fluid as he seemed to flow over the floor. He came further into the room and sat off to the side. So far he seemed to either be ignoring the random pony or he had not noticed. Nix wasn’t sure which he preferred but so far there had been no reaction.

He looked back to the doors as a new dragon walked in. He figured that this was Suki judging by the thick fur that sprouted around each scale and seemed to move with the wind as he walked. The fur was only a few inches long but it gave off the appearance of being in a wind storm and was a stark white in color. His scales were close to white and nearly translucent. Depending on the angle his scales were different colors. He had to admit that next to them Kahl was pretty plain in terms of design.

“Thank you for that.” Kahl argued. “I keep the flames that cover my form in check to avoid burning things thank you very much.”

“Sorry.” Nix replied and tried not to laugh.

Suki sat down opposite of them and seemed to be the first to spot the pony. His head tilted to the side for a moment before his bright eyes went to the mud scaled dragon.

“Mitsu? What possessed you to get a pet when you live here?” The Air Dragon said.

“PET!?” Nix yelled. He looked up at Mitsu who was biting back a laugh.

“Light your horn with our magic.” Kahl instructed. “That will give them a taste of my power in use.”

His horn lit as instructed as all three dragons looked to him in unison. Ice’s bright blue eyes were wide as Nix extinguished his horn and waited for them to speak up. Suki got to his paws and a snarl broke from him. Nix stood up and began to back up as Mitsu put a paw in front of the pony to protect him.

“Calm yourself Suki,” Mitsu said to him. “Kahl is still among us.”

Suki's eyes darted to the other dragon and he slowly sat down once more. “You will forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

“If you would not mind Kahl?” Mitsu said and Nix nodded as he understood what he meant.

Kahl took over their form and he sat down and pushed Mitsu’s paw out of his face. “Calm down Suki. I am still among you.” He said to them.

Both of them looked at him as his voice rang out from the pony’s throat. Flame flowed over his body, swirling and crackling. The other dragons finally seemed to calm at the sight of the flames and the pony that now stood among them.

“How did you end up this way, Kahlem?” Ice asked him.

“Allow me to explain.” He began.

“Nix?”

Nix startled and his mind seemed to wake up from the fog and he gave a mental shake of his head before replying. “Yeah. I’m here.” Nix replied to the voice from the dragon. “Everything going okay?”

“It’s fine. Do you wish to be in control once more?”

“I’m fine. If you need to talk to them more then I’m okay with that.” Nix assured him. “Do they understand what happened?”

“They do but they are having trouble understanding why I did not fight for my own form and leave you the way you were.” Kahl admitted and Nix cringed. “Neither of them are very sympathetic to other beings admittedly.”

“Geez. It makes me glad you were in the area and not them.” Nix growled.

Kahl chuckled and Nix opened his eyes as they swapped places once more. Above him, the two dragons were arguing with Mitsu and now Nix found himself lost among them. He tried to look up at them and found they had moved closer to him and he backed up a few feet to avoid being directly at their feet. He looked up as Mitsu heaved a great sigh and looked down at the pony.

“Can you show them the Tears?” The dragon asked and Nix nodded.

His horn lit and he pulled the box from his saddlebags once more. The midnight stallion set them in front of him and opened the box. Both dragons went silent and looked down at the box. Nix looked at both of them as Kahl chuckled in the back of his mind.

“That shut them both up.” He quipped and Nix had to fight not to nod in agreement.

Suki lowered his head and he looked down at the Tears in their velvet casing. He looked at Nix and back to the box.

“Tell them who they belong to,” Mitsu said to him.

Nix opened his mouth as Suki pulled his head back to listen. “There are eighteen of them. Seven came from Mitsu, three from Ice, six from Suki, one from Joren, and one from Lomen.”

“As you can see we have been robbed,” Mitsu said to them.

Ice snarled and his eyes looked at the pony. “How did you get past our guards to take them?”

“Excuse me?” Nix barked. “I got them from Princess Luna in Canterlot. She thought they would help me with a project and Kahl informed me what they were. I haven’t touched them since finding out who they belonged to. Why would I bring them in front of you if I had taken them? Think about that for a second.”

Kahl barked out a loud laugh and Nix realized he had just sassed a dragon that wasn’t the one he was attached to. He gulped and looked at Mitsu who was chuckling quietly. Both of them were silent and Suki seemed to agree with him and a sigh escaped the dragon.

“Who is this Princess Luna?” He asked.

“She is the sister of Princess Celestia.” Mitsu supplied. “She raises the moon at night and only recently returned to her kingdom.”

“I see,” Suki said quietly.

“Then we need to bring her before us and find out what she knows. Then we can judge her accordingly.” Ice went on.

“Hah!” Nix barked out a laugh. All three dragons looked down at him and he covered his mouth for a moment. “You really think she would come here willingly and explain where she got them? You’re…delusional. There is no way she would agree to that. And you know it.”

Ice blinked at the dark pony as Suki sighed once more and nodded. “He is right. The odds of a foreign Princess agreeing to come to us is foolish. At the least, we need to go to her. We have met their rulers once but it was a thousand years ago or more.” The Air dragon said to them.

“He’s right.” Kahl said and Nix nodded.

Ice growled under his breath at the others but settled down and nodded. Nix looked at the three dragons with him and then down to the Tears at his hooves. He knew that they could no longer be put back since they had been stolen but he still felt bad for them and those connected to them.

“What do we do now?” He asked the fire dragon.

“I am not sure. We must find out how they were stolen and if possible when. The trouble is going to be getting all of us to work as one. We have never needed to.” Kahl admitted.

“Great. So I have to be the pony in the middle?”

“Pretty much. Mitsu I have no doubt will help but it will be trying for all of us.”

“Just great.”

“How long have you had them?” Suki asked suddenly after a period of time.

“I’ve had them for a few weeks.” He admitted and quickly went on at the stunned look from the dragons. “I didn’t know I had them until later. I didn’t check the boxes I had been sent until a later time and found them then.”

Suki sighed and looked down at the Tears. “It is a problem that none of us knew they were gone. I have said many times we should put guards within the catacombs. But the rest of you disagreed.”

“Here we go.” Kahl groaned.

Nix looked at the other dragons as Mitsu closed his eyes and Ice rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Yes, yes I was wondering when you were going to bring that up.” Ice growled.

“It never occurred to any of us, you included Suki, that anyone would have the courage to rob us,” Mitsu said as he looked at the others.

“It should have. We live in a time where things that are not kept…”

“The doors are locked!” Kahl complained and Nix acted as his voice.

The dragons looked down at the pony and an annoyed expression crossed Suki’s face as he regarded him. Nix gave a nervous smile and looked away from them.

“We should still have placed them under guard. We place far too much trust in our names alone.” Suki began.

Kahl groaned again and Nix remained quiet this time. “No dragon would break in here without knowing it would meet us.” He grumbled. Nix opened his mouth to speak but then shut his mouth as Ice looked down to him.

“Our names do not hold the same weight as they once did,” Suki said to them. “We have faded into the background. Your death shows that Kahlem.” He said and looked at the pony.

“Pardon?” Nix said to him. “How does the attack on Kahl have anything to do with us? I was told the dragons that did the attack were a radical group.”

“While that MIGHT be true it still proves my point. In times past they would not have dared to fight one of us.” Suki said.

“He’s lucky I’m not in your place or I’d have slapped him to the ground.” Kahl growled.

Nix didn’t speak as Suki went on.

“Now we are little more than a warning. We used to hold power in our names alone. Now we must act and the theft of the Dragons Tears proves it.” Suki said with a stamp of one paw.

Nix staggered under the vibration and sat down to avoid falling over. “Is he saying that you guys should be a little more violent?”

“Kind of.” Kahl admitted. “Suki has always been either over cautious or militant. While he is normally cautious and reserved there are times where he recalls the past more than the present.”

“Great. Just beautiful.” Nix replied.

“Suki, are you asking us to be more aggressive in our interactions?” Ice growled. “While normally I agree with that notion being aggressive to our own is not going to end well. They do not go against us normally. What happened to Kahlem aside.”

“What I am saying is that we do not have the luxury of expecting anyone to be driven away from acting against us by doing nothing. We do not have that luxury anymore. We have grown complacent and lazy.” Suki went on. “If we must use our place to remind those around us of who we are then perhaps we can avoid more thefts.”

“You are asking us to use their world against them?” Mitsu asked, his voice louder than normal.

“Yes,” Suki said to them.

Nix blinked and looked around him for a moment before his magic picked up the Tears and placed them back in his saddlebags. The conversation had changed and they were no longer focused on the Tears and their thefts. It had become a discussion about using the Elements themselves against everypony.

“Kahl?”

“I admit I am stunned.” He replied. “I never once thought of using the world’s flames to intimidate others. I…have thought of it but never have I thought to use them against other living beings.”

“We can’t let him do that.”

“I agree. He must know that we would not agree to it.” Kahl went on. Something is not right about this. Suki is not normally this way. He’s insufferable at times but never has he brought up using our Elements to bring those around us back to heel. I agree that our names do not hold the same clout that they used to. But that does not mean we should strive for that and take matters into our own paws to attain it.”

Nix got to his hooves and opened his mouth to speak but was drowned out by the now arguing dragons. He moved away from Mitsu’s side and moved off to the side.

“Hey!” He shouted at them and was ignored. “Oh come on.”

“You’re going to need to be louder than that.”

“HEY!” He screamed at them and still, they ignored him.

“Louder.”

“That’s as loud as I get.” Nix groaned. “I don’t have the lungs and voice of a dragon.”

“Yes you do.” Kahl replied. “My body melded into yours and now you hold many of its abilities. Do not doubt what you can and cannot do.”

Nix listened in silence and he breathed deep for a second and focused on his voice. “LISTEN!” He roared out and the room shook with the force behind the sound.

He spread his hooves and tried to keep himself standing as the cavern shook. His eyes were wide as the others stared at him. He breathed out the rest of the breath he held and smoke exhaled from his mouth.

“Look. You can’t use the world to fight the world. That’s not how it works, not then or now. Using your power to bring the world to heel is going to backfire. Celestia carries the power of the sun, Luna carries the moon. Water is impacted by the moon, Ice.”

The Water dragon grimaced and nodded in agreement. “That is true. The tides bend to the will of the lunar cycle.”

“Air is not immune either, don’t look smug Suki,” Nix said as the Air dragon dropped his smug expression. “Kahl could just as easily roast the air and Mitsu could clog it with dust.”

“That’s is true. He has done that before.” Suki admitted with a look at the pony.

“Kahl is not immune either. Fire needs Oxygen, which is air.” Nix pointed out and approached them as his voice grew louder. “If even one of you decides to fight the world then the rest can stop you. I think that is why you have the power you do. If Air loses his mind then the others can subdue him. Same for Kahl or Mitsu or anything.”

“He speaks true,” Mitsu said to them and sat down once more. “Our power is not meant to harm our world. We are meant to protect it and those that call it home.”

“Nix let me talk for a second.” Kahl said to him.

Nix closed his eyes and he felt himself moving for a second and then the eyes opened once more and he was watching and listening.

“If you wish for the world to know us then that can be done, Suki.” Suki looked stunned as Kahl’s voice echoed around them. “But we do not need to be violent to attain that. We are not meant to bring the world to heel at our paws. We are meant to watch over, not lord over.”

Suki stared at the midnight blue stallion and a nod broke form him. “That is true. But it does not change the fact that we are not well respected…”

“That is true. But respect is many things. What you are talking about is fear, not respect. Fear is easy to attain, respect is not. Respect can be gained and lost in an instant and it can linger when we do not. We are meant to use our power for the greater good not the benefit of ourselves.”

“You were destroyed by our own, Kahlem.” Ice said to him.

“That’s true. My body was mutilated by three of our own. I do not regret acting as I did. Ponies do not have a defense against dragons of our size. An entire village was laid to ruin by one fight and many were lost.” Kahl replied. “Our lives are as fragile as any other creature. Our kind does not live forever and we can be killed. I chose not to die that day and instead bound my fate to that of the pony that stands before you. The balance of the Elements must be maintained and we are not meant to be throwing our weight around like some common thugs.”

Mitsui nodded in agreement and Suki lowered his head slightly at the reminder of their place. “You are…bluntly correct Kahlem. But I still think something must be done.”

“I agree,” Kahl said to him. “But murder is not our way.”

Ice nodded at his words. “We are many things, Suki. But we are not normal dragons.”

Mitsu rumbled an agreeing sound. “Our place is to safeguard the Elements and those that live within the world. While we have been wronged we are not meant to take vengeance.”

Nix gave a sigh of relief and waited for what would happen next.

Nix looked at the enormous gates before him and he could sense the trepidation of the dragons with him. He and Kahl had led them to the gates of the catacombs where the dead were kept. He had posed a question about them earlier and now they were all standing in front of them to see if they could have been breached at some point. The stallion had learned that the main gates were what connected them. Past those were the inner gates that led to the inner catacombs that held each specific dragon’s line. He had needed to have Kahl explain it to him twice before it sunk in and he admitted that he finally understood it. From what he could tell the gates didn’t show any sign of having been damaged or even messed with.

“They look fine.” He said aloud and the three dragons with him simply nodded as he looked at them each. “Okay, so what about the inner doors?”

Mitsu growled under his breath and walked to the great gates and set his paw against them. Nix backed up a step as a golden glow came off the gates and they creaked open. Dirt and dust coming off of them as they moved for the first time in many years. He could tell that none of them wished to disturb their dead but they had acknowledged, with some help from Kahl and his blunt way of speaking, that they needed to check. He watched as the doors opened enough for all of them to walk in and he led them into the next room.

“So which door belongs to…Oh shit.” He started and he stopped at the sight of the broken doors.

Behind him, he heard a deep intake of breath and he could feel a shudder go through him as Kahl reeled from the sight before them. All four sets of doors were off their hinges. The only one not damaged beyond repair was the farthest from them.

“No,” Mitsu whispered from behind him.

“They’re all…broken,” Suki said aloud.

Nix could hear the sound of disbelief in the dragon's tone as he looked up as their heads towered above him.

“By the flames…” Kahl breathed out to him and Nix could feel the shock that rippled through the dragon.

“What could do this?” Nix asked as Ice stepped over him and went to the nearest set of broken doors.

Nix followed carefully behind the water dragon as he stopped near the broken stone doors. He said nothing and waited for the dragons to break out of their shock and speak to them further. Each dragon went to a separate set of broken doors and Nix went to the ones at the far end. He got close to them and he stopped close by them.

“Are these ones yours?”

“Yes.” Kahl replied. “Only I can get past the magic that is woven into them. Something tore them off the doorway.”

“Is there anything that could do this without alerting each of you it was happening?”

“We do not spend all of our time here but the fact that they got through the Elementals we station here tells me that they were able to get past without being assaulted by those. Whoever it was could get past it all.”

“I can’t even imagine anything getting past those and remaining undetected. Could magic have done this to the doors?”

“I suppose it’s possible. It would have to be a considerable amount of force but I cannot think of anyone besides an Alicorn that would have that kind of magical force.”

“What about a group of Unicorns?”

“I suppose that’s possible…Oh no.”

“What? What is it?”

“I don’t know if the Elementals consider ponies to be a threat.” He replied slowly.

“Tell me you’re kidding.”

“If you were in our paws would you think a pony a threat?!” Kahl snarled.

Nix cringed and then shook his head. “I guess not. But still. Let me ask others.”

Kahl was silent as Nix wheeled about and galloped back to the others. He ran up to Mitsu and began to tap the dragon’s scales with one hoof. The Earth dragon looked down at him and he inhaled to speak.

“Do you consider a pony a threat?” He asked.

“Not really,” Mitsu admitted. “Why do you ask?”

“Kahl pointed out that maybe a group of Unicorns broke down the doors. If they’re not considered a threat by you then why would the Elementals stop them?”

He saw Suki and Ice’s heads snap to look at him, their eyes wide. Mitsu stared and his eyes blinked as he considered what had been said.

“By the Earth…” He whispered and looked at the other two dragons. “I have never thought of them as a threat due to their never being here and we interact with them so little.”

“Their weaker than we are and I never thought…” Suki breathed out and then looked at the pony with them. “Could a pony have done this to our honored dead?”

Nix was quiet as he looked at the dragon. He could see the anger that came from the dragon and one look at the other two told him they were just as angered by the idea. “I don’t think a single Unicorn could do this to these magical doors. A group of them…maybe.” He admitted.

Ice snarled and spun for the front doors. “I will rend every pony I find.”

“No, no hang on.” Nix chased after him and galloped hard to get in front of the enraged dragon. “I agree you have every right to be angry but killing innocents will not fix what has been done.”

“You might have to stop him with force at this point.” Kahl advised.

Nix’s horn charged with their shared magic and he sent a blast of fire laced magic into the Water dragons face. Ice stopped and his eyes went to the pony on the ground. Magic coursed over the Unicorns horn and he waited to see what the dragon would do.

“You can’t blame every pony for the actions of a few. That’s not fair.” Nix hollered to him. “I agree what has happened cannot be allowed to happen again. So now we fix the doors and redo the Elementals. Then…we find out who did it.” He said as his horn went dormant now that he had the dragon's attention.

“He is right, Ice,” Mitsu said as he emerged from the cavern. “We cannot wage war on an entire species. I share your rage but we must protect those that remain and correct our own failings before we can hunt for those that have stolen from us and our descendants.”

Ice’s eyes scanned them and they closed as he inhaled a deep breath and seemed to calm. “Very well. But should we fail our dead once more nothing will stop me from finding those responsible, innocent or not.”

Nix felt a chill go through the air at the dragon's declaration but he nodded none the less.

16: Testing Magic

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Nix focused on the elemental in front of him as he concentrated on how to tell it how to view other ponies. In the back of his mind, he could sense the dragon within him as their magic faded and the elemental shuddered as it turned and was sent back to its patrol.

“Kahl?”

“It is done. That was the last one we needed to alter.” Kahl informed him.

Nix breathed out a sigh and his shoulders sagged as he considered what his next move should be, the sound of heavy paws caught his attention. He looked back at the open cavern doors as Mitsu came toward him. The dragon had stayed close to him over the past couple of days. The stallion stayed inside the Earth dragons cave at night to avoid being stepped on by the other dragons if they moved through the cavern that belonged to the fire dragon. Kahl had assured him that they would not come in uninvited but the stallion had chosen to remain close to the Earth dragon just in case.

“Hi, Mitsu.” The midnight stallion greeted the dragon as he stopped by him and laid down on the smooth cavern floor.

“I apologize for interrupting but I have questions for you if you have the time,” Mitsu said to him.

“Just finished so it’s no problem,” Nix assured him.

“I would like to know more about the abilities of your fellow Unicorns.”

Nix cringed at the request and the Earth dragon waited as he sat down opposite of the dragon. “I’m not a Unicorn to use as a base.”

“What do you mean?”

“I spent years in school for magic and my abilities are beyond a normal Unicorn. Most Unicorns only have enough magic to be great at one thing. For example, a Unicorn might be good at gardening or something like that. That would mean they have the magic at their disposal to accomplish basic tasks. It takes focus and the magical ability to do more than that.”

“You are exceptional then?”

“I’m not exceptional, that would be Twilight. But I do have more of an edge over the others.”

“Explain.”

“For example, teleportation takes focus and an abnormal skill in magic itself. I know of only a few Unicorns who can do it. Twilight I know can and I can as well. A friend of ours can’t.”

“Is she not schooled in the skill?”

“No. Her magical ability is not advanced enough for it.”

“She does not have the magical capacity. Her well of magic is not strong enough to accomplish it.” Kahl clarified and Nix parroted his words for the other dragon.

“I see.” Mitsu nodded as he thought it over. “So what would it require to damage the doors to our catacombs?”

“Telekinesis. A huge amount of it.” Nix replied. “It would require a group of Unicorns that are at least somewhat skilled at it. Otherwise, all they would accomplish is to drain their magic.”

“We should also consider the abilities of an Alicorn like Luna. We would be stupid not to consider her abilities.” Kahl added and Nix cringed as he spoke for him.

“I agree,” Mitsu said back to him. “How do her abilities compare to your own?”

Nix barked a laugh as he shook his head. “She could have buried me a hundred times before Kahl,” Nix admitted. “Now I might be able to stand against her but she calls on the powers of the moon as well.”

Mitsu shook his head and looked at the pony in front of him. “But in comparison to you before?”

“She would have trampled me. An Alicorn is the pinnacle of magic and it would take a hundred well-versed Unicorns to compare. We would need a hundred Unicorns like me and Twilight.” Nix admitted.

“Do you think she might have taken the Dragons Tears?”

“I want to say no,” Nix replied. “But I do not know her very well. I’ve met her a couple of times and those were not times that it was just the two of us talking.” Kahl was quiet as Nix waited for the dragon to comment. “Kahl?”

“We would be foolish to count her out simply because it is inconvenient.” Kahl sounded annoyed as he replied. “But is not possible for it to have been done before her banishment.”

Nix spoke aloud and Mitsu nodded in agreement. “We were in there recently for burial so it's not possible that they were stolen so long ago.”

Nix nodded as Kahl made an agreeing sound within his mind. “How long ago was it?”

“Fifty years ago.” Kahl informs him and Mitsu nods as Nix speaks for him.

“So fairly recently.” Nix corrected. “But in terms of time for a very long-lived dragon that’s pretty short in terms of time frame.”

“Indeed. We live far longer than most and time does slip past us.” Mitsu said to him. “Recently to us may be fifty years to you.”

Nix leaned back on his flank and thought about what it could mean if Luna had stolen the tears. He didn’t want to think that she could have stolen them but at the same time, he knew the dragons were right about not discounting her so easily. She had sent the gems to him and that meant she was a suspect in their theft.

“Do not discount her simply because she is a Princess of Equestria.” Kahl said to him and Nix bit back a cringe as the dragon hit the nail on the head. “She is more than capable of committing a crime like any other pony.”

Mitsu shifted his weight and waited as Nix finally looked up at the mud-colored dragon. “Is there any way to check if she was the thief?”

Nix was quiet as he thought it over. “I send letters to Celestia through Twilights dragon, Spike. But that is the only way I get in touch with her or her sister for…What?” Nix stopped at the wide-eyed look he was getting from Mitsu.

“What do you mean her dragon?”

“Spike. He lives with Twilight and he can send letters directly to Celestia through his flames.” Nix informed him.

“Is there any way we can speak to this dragon?”

“I guess. I have no idea honestly. I have never seen Spike hang around other dragons and he seems to be okay with being around only ponies. We would need Twilight to be okay with it though since he is a baby dragon.”

Nix looked over his shoulder as the sound of dragging scales caught his attention. Ice came up behind them and he paused behind the stallion. The Water dragon said nothing as he walked around them to join Mitsu in front of the stallion.

“What are we talking about now?” The Water dragon questioned.

“We were discussing Unicorns and the power they carry within them and the skills that come from it,” Mitsu informed him. “We were just now discussing the dragon that is owned by a mare he knows.”

Ice’s eyes went wide as Mitsu spoke and Nix got to his hooves as he looked between them. Nix could hear Kahl groan as he waited for the Water dragon to speak up.

“He serves them?” He snarled.

“NO!” Nix shouted and both dragons looked down at him as he went on. “No, he doesn’t serve her. He’s a baby dragon that lives with her. He is her assistant and lives in the library with her. He works with her and he is more than well-loved by her.”

Ice seemed to calm and his posture relaxed. “I see. So he lives among them and they see him as one of their own?”

Nix thought it over and nodded. “Close enough.” He replied and sat back down.

“So why do we need him?” Ice asked.

“Through him, we can send a letter to Celestia and Luna. If we want to ask her how she got ahold of the Tears. We would need Twilight as well if we want Spike.”

“Will there be an issue with speaking to the mare?” Ice asked.

Nix was quiet as Kahl barked a laugh. “Well…”

“What is it?” Mitsu asked him quietly.

Nix sighed and looked at the dragons. “Nopony knows about the Pact with Kahl.”

Mitsu’s eyes widened and then they closed as understanding went through him. “I see. And you wish it to remain a secret?”

Nix didn’t say anything as he scuffed a hoof over the smooth floor. “I would rather it stay secret, yes.”

“If we must choose a pony to know then I would suggest her first.” Kahl admitted. “She is most likely going to be able to keep it to herself.”

“Doesn’t mean I like it.” Nix replied to him through their connection.

“True enough. But for this situation, we may need to put aside our preference in favor of necessity.”

Nix sighed and looked back at the dragons after talking with Kahl silently. “If we need to I will talk to her about it.” He said to them and Mitsu nodded. “I would like to have as much information as possible and have our other options looked over.”

“Understood. We will exhaust our options before we rely on her and her baby dragon.” Mitsui agreed and Ice agreed after a second’s hesitation.

“Is it possible for you to find any scent or anything on the doors that might tell us anything?” He asked and Ice pulled his head back, an annoyed look crossing his face. “I mean that will tell us how many scents are involved and if we need to involve more than just us in the investigation.”

“We are not your hounds.” Ice scolded.

Kahl barked a laugh and chuckled in Nix’s mind as the pony gave a quiet sigh. “You have a better nose than I do.” Nix countered. “You will be able to tell more than me if there is more than one scent there or not.”

Ice growled as he got to his paws and began to walk away from them. “I will check them for any scent. Mitsu shall remain here and I will check since a pony’s nose is never as good as a dragon.”

“Our nose is just as good. You have my sense of smell.” Kahl informed him with a snort.

“Oh.” Nix cringed as the dragon spoke. “I know that now.”

Kahl chuckled. “On the upside, we did just send Ice on an errand like a common whelp. So there is that to brighten my day.”

Nix barked a laugh and covered his mouth with a hoof as Mitsu waited for them to finish speaking. Mitsu snorted and gazed at the pony in front of him.

“How amused is Kahl that Ice is doing as you have said?”

“Oh, he loves it,” Nix replied.

Mitsu leaned his head down lower to the stallion and his large eyes gazed at him. “You fear what might happen should others find out about your Pact?”

Nix jerked and looked away from the dragon. He nodded after several seconds and looked up at the dragon. “I am worried that they will be afraid but mostly I am afraid of what they will do. I’m worried that they will think it is something that they need to ‘fix’ and that will hurt both of us.”

Mitsu nodded in understanding and the pony waited for him to speak. “You are not alone in this young stallion.” He responded. “You have the flames of the world that will defend you should you have need. I will also stand with you should the need come.”

“I know. But still...”

“The others would stand with you as well. While we clash at times we do not abandon our own. Each of us is vital to this world and we do not allow it to fall so long as we can defend it. You are one of us now and we stand with you.”

“He is right. Do not doubt that you are well defended and we do not fall easily.” Kahl said to him.

Nix nodded as they spoke and he tried to relax the tension in his shoulders. He got to his hooves and he began to pace as his mind went over what they had said. His eyes scanned the ground and walls as he paced and his mind raced as the dragons both waited for him to speak. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Mitsu with a sigh.

“What do you think?”

Mitsu looked at him for a second before he spoke. “Why would you ask me and not your pact Partner?”

“I know what Kahl will tell me. He will stand with me no matter what I do. He’s stuck with me.” Nix replied. “I’m looking for another opinion that isn’t mine or his.”

“I see,” Mitsu replied and looked thoughtful as he considered what to say in reply. “What exactly do you fear so much that makes you question your fellow ponies so much?”

“I’m afraid of what I don’t know.” He replied. “I fear what it could mean for us when they find out.”

Nix began to pace again as the dragon was silent. Mitsu remained quiet as time ticked past and Nix grew more anxious as he paced. Mitsu suddenly put a paw in front of him to stop his frantic pacing.

“You have every right to fear the unknown. You are allowed to fear and you are allowed to question the future and your fate. But at the same time, you must look ahead and see the future and all that it could hold.” Mitsu said to him as he pulled his paw back. “Thinking of only what-ifs will lead you into madness and that will hinder any progress you have made in life.”

“He is right.” Kahl said to him. “We can only look ahead of us and hope for the future. Try to calm down and think of what we do know. You know Twilight and you know how she will react to the information.”

Nix parroted Kahl’s words and Mitsu nodded in agreement with the other dragon. “I do know her fairly well. We weren’t friends when we were foals though.”

“The past is the past and should not have any bearing on your future. You know her now, do you not?” Mitsu commented.

“Yeah. We’re not the best of friends but I guess it’s better than what it once was.” Nix admitted.

“How do you think she will react?” Mitsu questioned.

“Pretty sure she will want all the details and she will want to talk to Kahl directly at least once,” Nix replied.

Mitsu barked a laugh and shook his head as he chuckled. “Sounds as if she is one who craves knowledge.”

“You have no idea,” Nix replied with a laugh. “She lives in a Library and loves every second of it.”

“Give your kind credit where it is due and trust those close to you. If you fear what the masses will do then keep the information to only one. Trust her and her alone, if you must limit it.”

Nix came to stand in front of the Earth dragon once more and he sat down heavily. He looked behind them as Ice came back into the room and laid down beside them once more. Nix waited for him to speak as he looked down at the pony.

“It seems that there was only one scent on the first three doors and many on Kahl’s door.” Ice informed them. “The scents were mixed but the magical scent was either one or many on the doors.”

Nix felt his eyes go wide as he looked at the Water dragon. “There is no way one pony could have torn those doors apart like that.” He argued.

Ice scowled at him and lowered his head to look closely at the stallion. “Are you going to argue with me about what I can scent? Focus on what I have told you and adapt to it.”

Nix cringed as he was scolded again by the Water dragon. “I’m not trying to argue with you about what your nose tells you. I just find it hard to believe.” He looked back to Mitsu and waited as he considered what to say next. “How strong are those doors?”

“They can withstand the attacks of a dragon if the need calls for it,” Mitsu assured him.

Nix was quiet his mind went over what he had been told. He looked at the doors behind them and then back to the ground as he tried to stay sitting and not get up to pace again.

“What are you thinking of?” Kahl asked him after am minute of silence.

“I have an idea.” He replied.

“Oh? And what would that be?”

Nix looked at the other dragons who were waiting for him to speak as he got to his hooves. “Is it possible to make another set of each door?”

“It is possible,” Mitsu replied, his head giving a slight tilt at the question. “Why?”

“I am trying to think of how much force a Unicorn would need to exert to rip apart those doors.”

“What will that accomplish?” Ice questioned, interrupting the stallion.

“You happen to have a strong Unicorn here in front of you. If I can rip those doors apart then we know that a single Unicorn can as well. That means we know what we need to look for. Anypony like me or an Alicorn.”

Mitsu nodded as he understood what he meant. “I understand. We will get Suki to make a set of doors and bring them here to you to test them.”

“What?” Ice asked, his tone annoyed.

“We will each make a set of doors and Nix will attempt to break into them. That will tell us how much force is needed to shatter them.” Mitsu clarified.

Ice nodded and got to his paws. “I will find Suki and inform him of what we are doing.”

“Will this allow us to find out how many were within our lands?” Mitsu asked him.

“Maybe. I will act as the one unicorn and we will see how much magic would have been needed to break through them. An Alicorn would be able to break all of them I think. A regular gifted Unicorn might be able to do two in my opinion. But if I can get through three of them then that narrows our search to an Alicorn or a very strong Unicorn.”

“Which means that the chance of such a strong Unicorn being unknown to Celestia or Luna is remote. Then we find out what they know.” Kahl finished for him.

Nix nodded and spoke aloud for Mitsu. The Earth dragon nodded as they finished speaking and he got to his paws and looked down at them. The Earth dragon’s eyes closed as Nix looked down to the Earth as it began to shudder under his hooves. He looked up as an area of the ground ahead of him began to raise from the flat cavern. The stones parted as a set of doors came from within the ground. His eyes went wide at the sight of them and he looked at the Earth dragon as his eyes opened and he regarded the stunned pony before him.

“My apologies for not warning you of what I was doing. Are you all right?” Mitsu asked as he laid back down in place.

“I’m fine.” Nix squeaked out to him.

“No you’re not.” Kahl teased.

“Shush.”

Nix didn’t reply further to the Fire dragons teasing as he sat back down. “So those doors are the same as the ones in the catacombs?”

“Yes. They are identical.” Mitsu assured him.

Nix looked up as Ice and Suki came back into the cavern, each with a set of doors in their teeth. He got to his hooves as they each set them to stand next to Mitsu’s doors. Nix looked at them as they joined the Earth dragon and laid down to wait for him to play his part.

“Okay, Kahl. Your turn.” Nix said aloud and closed his eyes to allow the dragon to take over.

Kahl opened his eyes and he could see the three dragons standing ahead of him and he spun to face the three sets of doors and he walked down to the end of them and paused as he called on the flames of the world to answer his call. He focused on the doors and they began to form within the world itself. Like the others, he used his natural element to craft them within the soil closest to his element and then bring them above the ground. The dragon called on them from within the world and the stones cracked open as the doors were brought above ground and lined up beside the others. He turned back to the other dragons and walked back to rejoin them to allow Nix to work from the beginning.

“Can he hear us Kahlem?” Ice suddenly asked him.

“No. His mind has been pushed back to allow it to transition between us easier. Why do you ask?” Kahl replied as he sat down before them.

“Do you…wish it had been different?” Ice asked, his tone careful.

“Do you mean if I wish things had been different in how it happened or do I wish I had not put my nose in where it didn’t belong?”

“The second one,” Suki replied.

“There are days. Mostly I miss flying as I wish. Our magic has been merged and there is no sense that there is something missing any longer. Mostly I miss my wings.” He admitted with a depressed sounding sigh.

Mitsu nodded in understanding as the Fire dragon lamented the loss. “Do you regret giving up your form? You surely had the choice to either be the bearer or allow him to be.”

“I did. But it would have left his mind…damaged at best. It was either keep my word to him or not. I told him that we would be intact and I chose to honor that.” Kahl went on.

Suki huffed but nodded in reply. Ice leaned back and looked thoughtful. “You always were the one to stick your nose where it did not belong, Kahlem.” Suki finally said to him.

“True. I will not argue that fact with you.” Kahl admitted with a shrug. “While it is true I do not regret my decision. I regret not calling on the world to help in their defeat. Had I made that choice then things might have been made different and both of us would have been intact and separate.”

“You know that now you have the lifespan of a pony.” Ice growled.

“We do not.” Kahl clarified. “He shares my lifespan. While we can be killed it has been made rather difficult. We are the same as you are, simply just in a different form.”

Suki stared as Kahl spoke, his tone calm. Mitsu chuckled as the Air dragon gawked and then blinked and looked away from the pony. Kahl waited for them to speak further and when his waiting was met with silence he closed his eyes to allow Nix to regain control.

Nix opened his eyes and the three dragons were sitting in front of him once more and he shook his head to clear the slight fog that lingered when they switched places like that. He got to his hooves and turned to look at the first set of doors that had been made by Mitsu. His eyes went over the thick doors as they towered above him. He breathed in a deep breath and looked over his shoulder as Mitsu reached out his nose and budged him forward.

“We will wait for when you are ready to begin.” He assured the pony as he pulled his head back and waited.

“Right.” Nix said with a nod to them. “Okay. Is it possible for you to limit our magic down to what it would have been before?”

“Do you mean for it to be limited back?” Kahl asked.

“Yeah. I want it to be my magic from before you.”

“That is doable.” Kahl assured him. “Go ahead and light your horn with your Unicorn magic and I will pull it back until it is what it once was.”

Nix nodded and his horn lit as he summoned their magic and he pushed back the flames until only his azure aura remained. Nix stood in front of the doors from Mitsu and his magic reached out to grip the set of doors. He breathed out a slow breath and focused on the doors and finding a way to crack them. He began to pull on the doors and his ears flicked forward as the sound of cracking stone began to fill the air around them. He stayed focused on his task as the sound grew louder. Cracks began to show against the doors deep brown coloring and then began to grow into the body of the door.

“Keep going.” Kahl urged him on.

Nix heard him speak and he poured a bit more magic into the door and he wrenched his head back as he gave a magical yank on the doors and they crumbled under his magic. He released the pieces and they fell to the ground with a series of heavy thuds. The Unicorn didn’t say anything as he looked over his shoulder to the dragons. He nearly barked a laugh at the wide-eyed stare he was getting from all three of them. He looked back at the broken door and they looked almost identical to the broken doors in the Catacombs. Nix breathed out a deep sigh and shook his head as he waited for his magic to level back out after such a large amount being used.

“I must admit I was not sure this would work.” Kahl said to him.

“What?” Nix yelped to him.

“I was not sure you would be able to break them without more magic than what you used. They are…weak in the face of a Unicorns magical pull.”

“Mitsu said they can fend off a dragon though.”

“Dragons and ponies are very different obviously.” Kahl replied. “In terms of magic ponies have more. Even Earth ponies have some magic and that means they are made of magic in a way. While we are made from our Elements a Unicorn is a different creature and our doors are no match for them.”

Nix was quiet as he moved to the next set of doors and stared at it before his horn lit. “Keep going?”

“Yes. We need to see if it is possible or not.” Kahl encouraged. “This will give us an idea of the numbers if you can go through them all or not.”

Nix’s horn stayed alight as he reached out and gripped the doors from Suki in his magic. He began to place the same amount of force against the doors and like the others, they began to crack and break in response. He was able to hurry up the process since he now knew how much force to use. He was able to quickly shatter the doors and then lean back on his haunches to recover. He looked back and Suki was staring at the crumbled pieces of the doors. He moved to the next set and he could see nervousness go through the Water dragon as his magic reached out to grip them. He set the same amount of force against them and they began to crumble. He could feel the drain on his magical pool as it happened and he was cautious as he slowed down his use and crumbled the doors slower than the second set. They fell to his magic and he panted at the magical drain.

Nix moved to stand in front of Kahl’s set of doors and he looked back at the dragons. Mitsu was watching him intently and Ice and Suki were still shocked at how quickly the doors fell. His magic reached out as he looked back at the doors and he gripped them in his magic. He pushed his magic as far as he dared and he could feel the backlash coming as it lashed back at him and he dropped his magic and his horn went dormant.

“I can’t break this one.” He admitted and turned to face the dragons. “I could if I drained my magical energy completely and if I do that I might end up damaging my horn. I would need help to finish it.” He told them as he tipped his horn back at the remaining set of doors.

He could see the shock that still went through the dragons as they scanned the remains of the doors they had made. Nix sat down with a sigh as he waited for his magic to level out again. He could feel the drain on his magic and he could feel a headache starting that would have grown worse if he had continued.

“Could you have broken them all at the same time?” Mitsu asked, his voice quiet.

“Its not impossible. But it would have probably caused injury if I did. It’s unlikely though.” He replied.

“Why?” Suki asked.

“It could cause permanent injury to my magical pool or worse to my horn itself.” He responded.

“Are you certain that a single pony broke all three doors but needed aid for the final door?” Ice replied.

“Your nose told us that it was one pony that was near those doors.” Nix countered and Ice nodded. “Only one pony broke those doors. Kahl’s doors were not as damaged as these. I think they did not have as much time as they thought when they went into that catacomb. They ran out of time.”

Suki snorted and looked at them each in turn. “We need to start thinking outside the box when it comes to our security.”

Ice and Mitsu nodded and Kahl gave an assenting nose and Nix nodded for him. “For once he is right.” Kahl said.

Nix pulled Kahl’s magic back into its place and he felt it begin to recover. He lit his horn and fire soared over his horn and he shouted and reeled back as his horn went dormant.

“It’s all right.” Kahl soothed. “Your Unicorn magic is less than normal so my flame took over to balance it out while it recovers.” The dragon informed him.

His breathing slowed as he nodded to the dragon. “Right.”

“Why did you panic at the sight of your shared magic?” Suki asked him as he brought his head down to face the pony.

Nix looked at the ground as he got to his hooves and then at the Air dragon. “I am a bit afraid of fire.” He admitted.

He watched as Suki stared at him for several seconds and then pulled his head back as he began to laugh loudly. Nix clenched his jaw as Ice joined in and Mitsu simply looked at them as the pony hung his head.

“Can I melt into the floor now?” He asked the dragon within him.

“Do not take any stock in them.” Kahl snarled. “Ignore them as best as you can. They do not know why you are afraid and I doubt they would be willing to listen.”

Nix looked up as Mitsu raised one paw and slammed it into the ground. Nix yelped as he managed to keep himself standing, despite the ground trembling. A loud growl sounded from the Earth dragon as the others fell silent. He turned to look at them and Nix watched as they cringed back under the intense look from the Earth dragon.

“You have no right to laugh. It is not your place to laugh at his fear when I can recall both of you once being frightened whelps.” Mitsu growled. “If I recall you, Suki, were once afraid of…”

“No,” Suki said to him and nodded. “Understood.”

“And you Ice. Shall I remind you of your fears?”

Ice shook his head and lowered his head. Nix looked at each of them as Mitsu turned his head to look at the midnight blue pony. Nix felt a slight smile tug at his mouth as the dragon’s large eyes watched him closely.

“Kahl laughed as well but he apologized.” He admitted. “He admitted that he was laughing at the irony, not that I was afraid of fire.”

Mitsu nodded. “It is ironic but it is not something to be mocked for,” Mitsu assured him. “Kahl was right to apologize. I was surprised to hear what you said of the flames but I was once afraid of the fire as well. When I was young and Kahl’s predecessor was in power I feared the flame he wielded. I understand where that fear can come from and you do not deserve to be mocked or teased about it.”

Nix felt his eyes go wide as Mitsu admitted that he had once been scared of fire as well. “I’m surprised to hear that you were scared of fire. I just assumed all dragons were fine with it since they breathed fire.”

“I do not have any control over the world’s flames and that is where my fear came from. Cold can be biting but it is usually a gradual freeze. Fire burns all that it touches and it can be slow when it wishes.” Mitsu replied.

“My apologies, Phoenix,” Suki said to the pony as he lowered his head to Nix’s level. “It was unfair of me to laugh at your fears.”

Nix nodded as Ice lowered his head as well. “Accept our apologies for our actions.”

“Forgiven,” Nix said to them. “Just think before you laugh next time.”

Both nodded in agreement and they both raised their heads back to tower above him. “Thankfully they were wise enough to apologize for their laughter.” Kahl said to him and Nix nodded.

“Now what?” He asked as he got to his hooves.

“Are you willing to speak to this mare in our stead?” Mitsu asked him and he saw the pony look nervous as he went on. “Or we can bring her to us and tell her some story about the Dragons Tears. We wish to speak to her about the baby dragon she uses…asks to send letters for her.”

Nix stood up and stretched his back as he thought it over. “I admit I would rather gargle glass then tell her or anypony but I see the reasoning behind it. I will do what I can to help find out what happened.”

“Should we bring her here or go to her?” Ice asked quietly.

“Her coming here might take a long time. I can’t bring her through the Earth…Can we?” He asked the dragon within him.

“No.” Kahl replied.

“Nope. We would be coming over land so it might take how long Kahl?”

“Approximately a week or so.” Kahl supplied.

“A week or more.” He related to the others and they blanched. “And going to her would be a problem.”

“Why?” Ice asked.

“Ponyville is a really small town and the sight of three enormous dragons will send the entire town into a panic. Plus it might alert the city of Canterlot since we are close by it and they might react badly.” He reasoned.

Suki snorted and looked at the pony. “They should be honored to see the dragons that guard their world and…” Nix glared at him and the dragon fell silent and didn’t say anything more.

“Our only option might be to bring her to you,” Nix admitted. “Is there anywhere that is safe to bring her…?”

“I have an idea.” Kahl said to him and the pony fell silent as he tilted his head to the side and waited. “What about Ghastly Gorge? It is secluded enough to remain unseen and large enough for them to meet her within it.”

“Kahl. You’re a genius.” He said aloud and he heard the dragon chuckle. “There is a gorge near Ponyville that could be what we need.”

“Oh?” Mitsu said to him.

“Yeah, it’s large enough for all of you to fit and not draw too much attention,” Nix informed them.

“Where is it?” Mitsu asked him.

“Umm.” Nix looked thoughtful as he tried to figure how to describe it to them.

“All ow me to answer that.” Kahl said to him.

“Oh thank Equestria you know,” Nix admitted and closed his eyes to allow the dragon to take over.

Kahl opened his eyes and reached out to the flames of the world at his command. The stones cracked open and flames pulled free of the world that held them. He focused on navigating the others to the gorge and they leaned forward as the flames showed them their path to the gorge. He knew that they could travel through their respective Element and it would take them very little time to reach the gorge.

“Meet us there late morning and we will speak to the mare in the meantime,” Kahl said to them and they each nodded in turn.

Kahl rescinded the map he had made for them and closed his eyes to return their form to Nix.

Nix opened his eyes and he shook off the fog and he watched as Suki and Ice got up and began to leave the cavern. He assumed that Kahl had said something to them about meeting up in the Gorge later.

“They will meet us there tomorrow in the late morning.” Kahl assured him.

“Late morning?”

“Did you want to blindside Twilight with them in the gorge or warn her before them?” Kahl replied.

“That’s a good point.” Nix admitted with a sheepish glance around him.

“Are you going to be all right with this, young pony?” Mitsu asked. His voice quiet as Nix tilted his head at his question. “It is a deep secret to you and I can see that it upsets you to let it free.”

Nix twitched at the reminder and he sighed as he sat down in front of the dragon. “I won’t lie and say that I’m totally fine with it. I know it’s needed though so I will make peace with it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Without it, we might not be able to find a way to get Twilight and Spike to work with us about the Dragons Tears. If there is a Unicorn out there that can break three out of four doors then we need to find out who knows about him or her.”

“So you are all right with others finding out about your Pact with a dragon?”

“I’ll live with it. Like I said I’m not happy about it but it is needed. I can ask Twilight to keep it to herself as well. I hope she will understand and keep it quiet, otherwise, I will be in for a lot of questions.”

“Do you still fear others harming you for your Pact?”

“In a way. I’m afraid that she will tell one pony in particular.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Celestia.” He admitted.

“Why would she tell her?”

“She is Celestia’s student. Her bond to the Princess is strong and I am afraid that she will let it slip to her and that the last thing I want.”

“Is there a way to impress upon her that you wish it kept secret and are not ready for it to be known?”

“Hopefully we can convince her to keep it quiet,” Nix admitted with a shrug.

“Trust your Pact Partner to help you. You two are one being and being of two minds will not help you.” Mitsu said to him.

Nix nodded in agreement and sighed deeply. “We don’t have much choice if we want to find out what happened and who stole them. We need to know what Luna and Celestia know by getting Twilight on board.”

“Thank you for all that you have done. You did not have to bring the Tears to our attention and yet you did. I am sure Kahl impressed upon you how important they were but you still can disagree.”

“He was furious at first but he calmed down when I admitted that I didn’t know why he was upset. When he told me what they were I…may have gotten sick over it since I had handled one of them.”

“Kahl did mention that you had been bitten by one of them.” Mitsu chuckled.

“Yeah. I got bit by one and that was how Kahl knew there was something wrong when he woke up a little while later.”

“Still. You are owed our thanks for all that you have done and will do.”

“Thanks for caring about my opinion on it,” Nix said to the Eldest dragon and the dragon nodded as Nix turned to leave the Earth dragon’s cavern.

“We could only have Twilight find out about the two of us.” Kahl said to him and he nearly stopped in his tracks.

“Really?” Nix asked him in reply. “How do you figure?”

“We could ask her to meet us at home and speak to her in private without Spike.” Kahl explained. “The odds of the baby dragon being able to keep a secret is slim.”

Nix was quiet as he considered what he had said. “Go on.”

“We can ask her to leave Spike out of it and speak with her privately. We can write or she can write the letter to Luna and then send it through Spike without him reading it.” Kahl responded.

“That’s true. I like that idea. Less chance of him blabbing if he doesn’t know.”

“Precisely. It could alleviate some of the stress off of you if there is only one pony who knows.”

“You’re a genius.” He replied and he heard the dragon chuckled. “Now I just have to think about how to tell her.”

“I will do what I can to help. It will be difficult to get her to believe us without proof.” Kahl admitted. “We will have to work to show her the proof she asks for.”

“Yeah. That’s gonna be the hard part. She is knowledge hungry at the best of times. Hopefully, she will let me explain it all and only ask what I can answer.”

“If you cannot answer her questions about the Pact itself then I can step in to tell her what I know.” Kahl assured him. “We are of one mind about this and I will back you up.”

“Thanks,” Nix said back to him as they walked back into Kahl’s cavern. “So should we go home now or in the morning?”

“I would advise in the morning.” Kahl advised. “It gives you a chance to rest before we travel home. Your magic is still recovering and we need to give it time to recover.”

“That’s a good point,” Nix said as he walked off to the side and sat down with a sigh.

17: A Secret Told

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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.

18: Discussions

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Nix stared at the three dragons ahead of him and he could see a tremble go through the mare at his side. Twilight stared at them in turn as her eyes were wide and unblinking. Nix had introduced her to Mitsu but the other two were known to her in name only. Ice and Suki both laid down alongside the elder Earth Dragon and they regarded the pair of ponies in front of them. Nix cast a glance to the mare beside him and her eyes were wide as she stared ahead of her.

“Twilight this is Suki and that’s Ice,” Nix said as he pointed out each dragon and introduced them by name despite her knowing them by sight. “This is Twilight.”

Ice lowered his head to get a better look at her and she stared at the Water Dragon. “Greetings little pony.”

“Hello.” Twilight squeaked and then cleared her throat to try again. “Greetings.”

The Water Dragon pulled his head back as Suki leaned down and gazed at the nervous mare. “Are you aware of who we are little mare?”

“Kahl and Nix told me about you and what to expect.” She replied.

Ice gave the mare a sidelong look as he rolled his eyes to glare at the stallion. Nix gulped in spite of himself and looked at the ground. He heard Kahl chuckle in the back of his mind and he scuffed a hoof absently.

Mitsu said nothing for several seconds as Ice and Suki looked back at the mare. “Were you told why we have come?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. I was told about the Dragons Tears.” She answered quickly. “I was told that you wish to find out from Princess Luna how she got a hold of them and where they came from.”

Mitsu nodded. “Will you help us young mare?”

Twilight smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Of course I will. What happened is horrible and I cannot think of any reason not to help you. I will do whatever I can to help.” She assured them.

Mitsu sighed at her reply and his head turned to look at the other two dragons with him. “Do you have anything for her?”

“Why do you wish to help us? What makes you agree so easily?” Suki asked.

She looked thoughtful for several seconds before she looked at the Air dragon. “What happened is wrong and your family was stolen from you. Kahl told me that you had children that were taken?” Suki closed his eyes for a second and nodded. “That’s horrid. They were pony napped in a way and whoever did it needs to be brought to justice.”

Ice barked a laugh and the mare looked stricken for a second before the dragon spoke. “I have to admit I was ready to fight with you about your helping us. Ponies have changed in the times since last we met them. I had thought we would need to force you.”

Twilight shook her head. “I would have helped anyway, even if Nix and Kahl hadn’t told me anything about why you were coming here.”

“Is it possible that one of your Princesses is the one that stole them?” Mitsu asked her.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think so no.”

“Do you know of a Unicorn that is as strong as you or I?” Nix asked her.

She thought it over before she shook her head. “No pony comes to mind but I had very little contact with other ponies unless I had to. You recall what we were like in school.”

“That’s true,” Nix replied.

Nix watched as her horn lit and a scroll and quill appeared in her magic and she began to write out notes to remind her of what they talked about. “I will ask about the gems and if there are any Unicorns that could fit the criteria that we need. How tough were those doors?”

“No dragon’s claws could have gotten through them. Unicorn magic however is another matter.” Mitsu admitted. “Did Kahl explain about them?”

“He said that Nix had used magic to break them but that was it.” She replied.

Mitsu stood up and the ground shook under them and Nix reached out and put a hoof on Twilights' shoulder to steady her. A set of doors emerged from the ground to stand in front of them. Twilight stared at the doors and she set her scroll on her back and stared at the ornate doors.

“These are the doors that we use to block the catacombs,” Mitsu informed her. “Can you break them?”

Twilight rolled her shoulders and her magic covered the doors as Mitsu laid back down and watched. Her magic grew in strength as the doors began to creak and small cracks began to show. Nix watched as she increased the force of her magic and the glow from it grew stronger and the doors crumbled under the pressure. She yelped and His horn lit to keep the pieces from landing on them. His magic covered the remnants of the door and he picked them up and set them off to the side. He looked at the startled mare and she sighed as he waited for her to speak.

“I…I admit I was not sure that what you were telling me was true. Sorry, Kahl.” She said with a sheepish look.

“There is no blame to be laid. She was right to doubt.” Kahl said and Nix spoke for him.

“Still.” She said and sighed once more. “Were they all like that?”

“All of them were broken but the final door was broken by several ponies, while the others were done by just one,” Mitsu replied.

“Right, Kahl explained that they had a magical scent on them,” Twilight whispered to herself and Mitsu nodded. “Umm. So how did they get in?”

“We are not sure,” Mitsu admitted.

“They got past our Elementals easily enough.” Kahl growled.

“They got past the Elementals that were created to protect their Lairs.”

“How?” Twilight questioned.

Ice gave a low growl and hung his head for a moment. “They got through because we are idiots.”

Twilight looked lost as Nix chuckled. “When the Elementals are made you have to tell them what to fight against. For example, if a dragon tried to get into Kahl’s Lair without Kahl’s permission the Elementals would attack and alert him. But…Without being told ponies are a threat they might not fight them.”

Twilight stared at them each, in turn, her jaw slowly dropping. “Seriously?”

Ice nodded bitterly. “As I said. We are idiots.”

“In their defense what dragon considers ponies a threat?” Nix defended.

“That’s true.” Twilight agreed. “But still. And now?”

“Now they have been corrected,” Mitsu replied. “Unfortunately it took the theft of our children and descendants to inform us of our error.”

Twilight flinched and a sad look crossed her face. “Okay so I need to ask the Princesses about the gems, how they got them, and if there are any Unicorns comparable to Nix and myself in terms of raw magical strength?”

“Pretty much. You have to ask without her thinking there is a dragon behind the request.” Nix replied.

“Would it not be easier just to ask her to meet with you three…four?” Twilight asked as her magic picked up the scroll and she went back to writing.

“We had considered that as well. It would eliminate the need to ask for your aid but we cannot put aside that they might have organized the theft or completed it themselves.” Mitsu replied and Twilight opened her mouth to argue and he held up one paw to silence her. “Plus we do not wish to inform her of the state that Kahl and Nix are in.”

“Right. That’s going to stay a secret. I forgot.” She covered and Nix shrugged.

“I know it makes things more complicated but I can’t risk anypony trying to correct what happened to us,” Nix replied. “They might have great intentions but it’s not wanted or needed.”

Twilight nodded in understanding and her magic rolled up the scroll and the quill vanished in her magic. “I am guessing you don’t want Spike to know either?”

“By Equestria no,” Nix replied with a bark of laughter. “While I like Spike I don’t think he can keep his mouth shut when it comes down to it.”

“The young tend to get excited and speak more than is needed,” Mitsu said, his voice light and a chuckle broke from him. “The young are that way no matter what they are.”

Twilight smiled and shrugged. “Spike is very responsible, but I will respect your choice.” She assured the nervous stallion.

Ice leaned his head down and looked closely at the mare. Nix watched him closely as the dragon sniffed her fur. Twilight stayed frozen in place as the dragon pulled his head back and shook his head.

“Checking if it was her?” Nix asked.

“That was a bit rude, but I suppose he has a reason.” Kahl said.

“She is not one of the ones that were in the catacombs.” Ice replied.

“Without knowing when they were taken we can’t say how old the ponies would need to be. But I can say that it was probably not recent since you guys were in there fifty years ago.” Nix growled. “Kahl’s right. That was rude and you should have explained. Twilight is not over fifty years old.”

Ice’s eyes widened at the scolding he was receiving from the stallion. Suki snorted a laugh and Mitsu grinned, his teeth white against his dark scales. In the back of his mind, he heard a loud laugh come from the Fire dragon. Nix’s anger began to fade and he realized what he had said. Anxiety bit at him but it faded at the looks he was getting from the others.

“Well said.” Kahl said through his laughter.

Nix cleared his throat and looked at the dragons. “Anyway. Umm…” He looked at Mitsu who was trying to hold his own laughter back. “Little help Kahl?”

“Why? You said what was correct and amused me in the process.” Kahl replied.

“Yeah but now I’m being glared at.” Nix replied.

“Look again.” Kahl said to him.

Nix looked up and Ice was still staring at him, his eyes wide. The Water dragon suddenly looked at the mare and lowered his head to her level.

“My apologies.” He said to her.

Nix felt his eyes go wide as Twilight smiled. “It’s okay. I understand why you did it and I don’t blame you.”

Kahl erupted into laughter at the Water Dragons expense and Nix closed his eyes as Mitsu also laughed. Suki reached out and his claws dragged over the Water Dragons shoulder as he also chuckled. Nix watched and the claws did no damage and he guessed it was the same motion as a pony slugging another on the shoulder. Suki’s paw went back to the ground as he bit back further laughter. Ice pulled his head back and tried to look angry at the group of them.

“Well done,” Mitsu said to the stallion as his laughter quieted. “I have been the only one to scold him lately. It is good to hear you helping to keep him in line as well.”

“Well…It was just a rude thing to do.” Nix defended. “Anyway, moving on.”

Twilight giggled and shook her head. “Anyway. I’ll send the letter tonight and if I hear anything I’ll pass the note to Nix.”

“Kahl and I will send any notes through the lava to you. Should we send it to each of you or just Mitsu?” Nix asked.

“Mitsu is fine,” Suki said and Ice nodded in agreement.

“Perfect,” Nix replied with a satisfied smile.

Mitsi got to his paws and he bowed his head to the pair of ponies and the earth rumbled under them as Nix steadied the mare and she watched as he vanished into the earth and was gone. Ice and Suki were behind him as their respective elements returned to them and they left the gorge behind.

“That’s pretty impressive no matter how many times you see it,” Nix said aloud.

“If you were not afraid of fire we would be able to depart through it as well.” Kahl groused.

Nix rolled his eyes and sighed deeply at the dragon’s commentary. Twilight was looking at him as he waited to see if the dragon had more to say. When he was met with silence he looked at her. “Sorry Kahl was talking…or rather complaining.”

“What was he complaining about?” She asked.

“We can’t move through fire since I’m terrified of it.” He explained.

“He mentioned that. Why are you scared of fire? Aside from the obvious reasons of being burned.” She replied.

He looked at her and she looked over his fur. “I was in a fire when I was little. My mom and I got caught in it and were burned. My scars are pretty well hidden by my fur. Hers was worse than mine so they stick out a bit more.” He explained.

“Oh. That’s a very good reason. Kahl?” She said and Nix could sense the dragon turn to listen. “You’re not allowed to complain. That’s a very good reason and you should be more understanding.”

Nix snorted a laugh and bit it back to try not to devolve into hysterical laughter at the dragon’s expense.

“Pardon? I have been more than understanding. I even apologized for my laugher in the beginning.”

“He’s mad at me, isn’t he?” She asked.

Nix kept his mouth shut as he fought back laugher and simply nodded. He bit back his laughter as Kahl went on.

“I think I am allowed simple teasing. I was born of the flames and I am allowed some leeway as I am missing my mother element and allowing my power to be tempered and all that comes with it. Thank you very much.”

Nix’s head came up and his laughter gone as he listened. “Wait! What? What were you saying about your power being tempered?”

Twilight sat down and waited as Nix spoke to the dragon. He looked at her and she made a motion for him to go on.

“Shit.” Kahl cursed.

“I’m serious what was that all about?” Nix asked, his voice insistent.

Kahl sighed and spoke in reply to him. “Our magic is powerful together but the fire side of it is weakened in many ways.”

“How so?” Nix asked.

“You can have an internal conversation you know. You don’t need to show me the one side of it.” Twilight teased and Nix shrugged with a grin.

“Sorry. I’m used to talking to him out loud. I tend to talk aloud at home and whenever it’s just the two of us. Or one of us…” He replied.

“Oh then keep going. Forget I said anything.” She replied and waited.

“Right. Kahl?”

“Without direct contact with the flames my power is lessened and we are weaker for it. I was not kidding when I told you I was born of flame. I do not have a mother in the sense that I was birthed from an egg from a female. I was made within the flame of the world and given breath through it. Each of us is the same.” Kahl explained.

“So because you are not allowed, because of me, to get in contact with the fires of the world we are not as strong as we could be?” Nix asked.

“Basically. Through my connection to the world’s flames, we are able to move through it and it breathes through us.”

“What does that mean?”

“We live and the world remains in balance.” Kahl began.

“So without us coming in contact with fire more often we are putting the world out of balance?”

He saw Twilights ears prick as he spoke. He heard Kahl sigh. “Yes.”

Nix felt his body go cold as he looked at the world around him. He could not see places where there were any problems but he had a feeling any issues would be under the ground. They would start within the world and slowly affect the upper lands. He looked at Twilight who was waiting for him to speak his side of the conversation.

“Oh shit.” He said aloud and sat down heavily. “Okay so how do we fix it? Or how bad is it?”

“It is not bad at this time. But if we choose to ignore it for too long it will create issues with the volcanoes and other natural places that the fires come through. I had hoped we could get you used to it over time and then we could fix it in time.” Kahl explained.

“But I have not made any attempt to get used to it,” Nix said and he hung his head for several seconds.

Kahl was silent for several seconds. “Yes. And I chose not to push you.”

Nix got to his hooves and began to pace. Twilight sat in silence as he thought over what he had been told. He stopped and looked at her for a second before he resumed pacing.

“What happened?” She asked after several minutes.

“I’m an idiot.” He growled.

“I doubt that.” She replied. “What did Kahl say?”

“If he and I do not come in contact with the flames of the world more directly then the world slowly goes out of balance. This means that the volcanoes could become unstable and the land will be affected in other ways as well.”

Her eyes went wide as she got to her hooves. “Oh. That sounds severe.”

“He was trying to get me used to fire slowly so that we could fix it over time. But I have made no attempts to get used to fire and have instead been running from it like I have been since I was a kid.” Nix snarled at himself.

Twilight sat back down and motioned for him to rejoin her. He walked over to her and sat down a couple of feet in front of her. “So Kahl has been trying to get you used to enough flame to keep the world in balance but you haven’t been trying?”

Nix managed not to flinch under the facts and he simply nodded.

“That’s not fair.” She accused. “I understand that it’s not the friendliest element but you have Kahl and he would not let you get hurt.”

“That’s not the issue actually.” He replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Fire can’t actually hurt me. He and I are the same body and when that happened I got his traits as well. Since he rules over flame I can’t be hurt by it, at all.”

“You’re immune to fire?”

“Yes.”

Twilight stared at him for several seconds before she got to her hooves and came to stand close to him. He yelped as she smacked her hoof to the back of his head. She backed up and came to sit back in front of him.

“Can I talk to Kahl for a second?” She asked as Nix rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah.” He replied and he closed his eyes to let the dragon come forward.

Kahl opened his eyes and Twilight looked expectantly at him as he nodded to her to let her know who she was talking to.

“You could have continued to speak to him, I was listening.” He informed her.

“I figured but I also know you need to be heard every now and then as well. Is Nix listening?”

“No.” He replied.

“Okay. Explain to me what I can do to help.”

“With?”

“With helping get Nix used to enough fire to keep balance.” She replied.

He sighed and thought over her request. “He is doing well enough to be able to use our shared magic for the most part.”

“Meaning?”

“He looks to his Unicorn magic first and that is the dominant magic. So far he has been unable to use them equally.”

“So if he was using them together properly then the fire would be as clear as his aura?”

“Yes,” Kahl said to her. “Currently that is not an issue so I have let it go and chose to pick my battles. It is not needed to use it equally unless he is calling on the flames of the world directly.”

“And when he does?”

“I typically do it,” Kahl informed her.

She rolled her eyes and sagged for a moment before she looked at him. “Okay, so you need to get him to do what you have been doing. I will take care of the letter to the Princesses and then I will help you two with your flames issue.”

“I appreciate the help but his fear is pretty deep and I have chosen not to argue it.”

“But by letting it go you have put the world out of balance. I understand you not wanting to start a fight with him since you share the same body. But sometimes you have to butt heads a bit to get your point across.”

Kahl chuckled. “True enough. Ponies’ are much different than my fellow dragons and a fight with them is usually very different than it would be for him and I.”

“I’m guessing you actually fight with the others?”

Kahl barked a laugh and nodded. Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I have allowed it to go longer than I had intended but I am coming to realize that I may need to fight him a bit more than I have been,” Kahl admitted.

Twilights' lips set in a hard line as she nodded. “I think your right. The dragons have kept the elements of the world in balance as long as the world has been alive right?”

Kahl tilted his head one way then the other before he nodded. “For the most part. We are as old as the world in some respects. As long as there have been dragons we have been alive.”

“Can I ask a personal question?” Twilight asked him and he nodded in reply. “How old are you, personally?”

“Me?” She nodded as he chuckled. “I am just over fifteen hundred years old. Mitsu is the eldest of us.”

“How old is Mitsu then?” She asked with an uncertain look.

“He is closer to two thousand. Suki, Ice, and I are close to the same age. Suki is the youngest while I come next and then Ice.”

“Wow. So you have all been around just as long as the Princesses?”

“For the most part. We met them both when I was young and unruly.”

“You have met Princesses Celestia and Luna before?”

“Yes though it was shortly before Luna fell. I think it was a hundred years before that, give or take a year or two.” He replied.

“Wow. I hadn’t thought about how the four of you were in terms of the Princesses and the history of Equestria.”

“We have seen much of the world as it passes by us. Our kind stays out of politics and we try to keep to ourselves.”

“So that’s why ponies would not know who you are?”

“Exactly. We remain in the shadows of the ponies worlds. Dragons know us well enough and they tend to leave us alone unless needed.”

“Do the dragons ever need your help?”

“There have been times they have called on one or two of us. It’s rare for all of us to be needed.” Kahl informed her.

“Okay. I think I understand it. So we need to get Nix used to fire and help him to be able to walk around it without flinching?”

“Flinching and running away.” Kahl chuckled. “In time I hope he would be able to control it as easily as I. Otherwise the world will slip further out of balance and it will begin to break through and cause problems.”

“We will work on it. Can you summon lava and fire to the surface for him to work with?”

“Of course.” He replied.

“Good. I think that will make things easier. It will allow Nix to see it and be around it as well.”

“He will be able to manipulate it freely once it is brought to the surface.”

“Perfect,” Twilight said and got to her hooves.

Kahl got to his hooves and charged his horn, teleporting them both back to Ponyville.

19: Working in the Meantime

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Nix was walking toward the town grocery store when he saw Twilight on the other side of the road. He gave a shrill whistle and she stopped, looking around until she saw him and a smile crossed her face. He trotted over to her and she gave him a hug in greeting. He moved slightly off to the side and she followed him with an apologetic look.

“Nothing?” He said to her.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized. “I was hoping we would hear something soon but nothing so far.”

Discouraged he said nothing for several seconds before he replied to her. “I guess that’s fine. I’m not in the greatest hurry but I think I know of a couple of others who might be.”

She looked uncertain for a moment before her eyes went wide for a moment as she nodded. “I’m sure they are more intent than you and I are. How is he doing?”

He gave her a look before a low chuckle in his mind told him what she meant. She was referring to the dragon that was always with him. Kahl chuckled and Nix gave her a thin smile to show he understood what she meant.

“I think he’s okay.” He informed her.

“I would send another letter asking for them to hurry with their reply but I don’t want to push too much.” Twilight reasoned to him. “We can’t ask too much just in case they start to question more than we want them to.”

“That’s a fair point.” He agreed. “Let me know.”

“Take it easy.” Kahl said to him and he paused in place to listen. “She is right. The last thing we need is to garner more attention than we want.”

“What is he saying?” She whispered to him as she leaned her head a bit closer to his.

He gave her a look. “How did you know he was talking?”

She gave a quiet giggle as she put a hoof over her mouth. “You always look away and kind of toward the sky when you’re listening to him.” The midnight blue Unicorn blanched and closed his eyes for a moment. She giggled again at his reaction. “I don’t think you even know you’re doing it. You kind of look far away and your head tilts a little when he’s talking.”

“Geez. I had no idea I was doing that.” He grimaced further as she put her hoof down.

He said nothing to her for a moment as he sighed and shook his head. She reached out and patted his shoulder. “What are you doing now?”

“I was going to grab a few things at the store but I don’t need them badly enough. I was just avoiding work for a minute.” He said to her as he barked a laugh. “I guess I should probably get some work done though.”

“What are you working on?”

“Magical storage, basically.” He supplied.

“Do you need any help?”

He opened his mouth to say no when the dragon made a noise to stop him. “Hmm?”

“With her help, we would be able to make more of the gems. With her magical strength, we should be able to figure out the ratio of what gems to use.” The dragon pointed out.

Nix was quiet as he considered what he had said. Twilight watched him closely as he thought it over. “What did he say?”

He cringed at the smile on her face as he realized that she knew the dragon was talking by his reaction. “He’s thinking that you could help with making the gems I have been making to store the magic. I can explain it further if you want.”

“I can help. I don’t mind helping since I have nothing to do at the moment.” She responded to him.

“Can you meet me at my place in an hour then we can see what we can do?”

She nodded in agreement. “I’ll meet you there in a bit.”

He smiled in reply to her and his horn lit as he gathered his magic to teleport. He gave her a warm smile as his magic peaked and he teleported back to his basement. He gave a low sigh as he looked around the room to make sure things were how he had left it.

“How many gems do you think we can make?” He spoke aloud as he moved toward the table.

“Between the two of you I would think you would be able to make ten or more. If I have her magical pool correct then she should be able to match your Unicorn magic pool.”

“My Unicorn magical pool? What does that mean?”

“What that means is that after our Pact your Unicorn magic was increased greatly. At her current level, she is a near match for that pool. When your magical pool is combined with my magic then she cannot match you.”

“How do you know that?”

Kahl was quiet for a moment before he went on to explain. “Through the flames of the world and the connection we have to it I am able to sense her magical strength.”

Nix fell quiet as he thought over what the dragon had said. His eyes went wide as he realized that the dragon knew his magical strength before he even began to talk to him.

“Of course I knew.” Kahl said to him with a chuckle. “I can sense the magical signature and strength of any pony or being in my radius. My normal radius is quite wide so I can sense anyone or anypony.”

Nix shook his head as he considered what the dragon had said. He finished moving toward the table after he had paused in the middle of the room. His magic flowed easily as he pulled out the original notes and his own, setting them to the side for Twilight to look over if she felt so inclined.

Nix’s ears flicked as he sensed the other Unicorn coming nearer to the house. Soon as she was close his magic opened the front door for her. He could hear her hooves on the wooden floor upstairs and he made sure to close the front door behind her. He looked up as she came down the stairs and he could see the questioning look on her face.

“How did you do that?” She asked him as he motioned for her to take a seat across the table from him.

“Do what?” He asked her as she sat down and his head gave a slight tilt in question.

“How did you know to open the door without me knocking on the door? You were down here when it opened.”

He gave her a questioning look until it dawned on him why she was asking. To her, it made no sense how he had opened the door without knowing where she was. “Do you remember when I was on Applejacks farm and I said I used a spell to locate you?”

She looked uncertain for a moment before she nodded as recognition went over her face.

“Kahl has the ability to find ponies and other creatures by focusing on them. If he has met them before he can find them easily. He taught me how to do it.”

“How does it work?”

“I’m not sure exactly. Kahl?”

“It uses the inherent magic within me to find others that I have memorized their magical signature.” Kahl explained. “I memorized her signature when we met her the first time and through that, we could find her. The easiest way it works is to picture the pony you’re looking for and focus on their signature.”

Nix parroted what Kahl had said and she tilted her head slightly. “What does it mean exactly?”

“The way he explained it to me and the way I have understood it is that everypony or everything has a magical signature of some kind. It might not be able to use magic but it still has a bit of it inside it. Kahl can focus on that tiny bit of magic and use it to track the pony or whatever he is looking for.” He replied.

Her eyes were wide as he explained what he understood. “How is that possible?”

“Kahl is the one that would know the exact way it works. Do you want to talk to him?”

She looked thoughtful for several seconds before she started to shake her head. “No. I will keep my curiosity in check until later. I told you I would help you with your project not question your partner all day.” She said with a chuckle.

“Do you want to look over the notes that the original pony had made?” He asked her as he looked at the thick notepad.

“Sure.”

“I will warn you about them though.” He said to her and she looked at him, her head gave a slight tilt. “The notes are really jumbled and pretty rambling. If you want to try to decipher them then you’re welcome to try it. I rewrote and organized them as best I can and I have those notes as well.”

She looked at the piles of notes on the table off to the side and a smile went over her muzzle. “I think I’ll read through your notes.” She replied with a chuckle.

His horn lit with their magic and he levitated his notepad to her and she took it from his magic. He waited for her to finish reading through it and he looked at the locked vault off to the side of the table. Inside he knew were the more valuable or controversial projects that he had been given but he knew that if he was going to use one of them then he would need to dedicate a huge chunk of time to them.

“So what have you been doing currently?” She asked as she set the notes down in front of her.

“At this moment I have been creating my own gemstones to allow me to bypass using the regular stones since they break so quickly.”

“How quickly do they break?”

“Only takes a minute or less to break them.”

She gave a low nod as he spoke. “And what are the ratios that you have been using?”

“So far the ratios are still being tinkered with. I don’t have a concrete ratio that I have been using for all of them. Currently, it’s just mixing them to see what they do. Once they break, if they do, then I pull them apart and separate them back into their separate parts.”

“Interesting. Does that mean even diamonds are breaking?” She asked. “They’re the strongest of gemstones.”

“The diamonds are not holding out. I’ve found that the diamond is not the strongest when it comes to what they can hold within them.”

“Explain.”

“The gems are being used for the strength that is inside of them not the outside of them.”

“That’s a good point.” She admitted as she nodded in understanding.

“So far I have found that the diamond does give added strength but it’s not able to withhold the pressure of the magical essence inside of it alone.”

She picked up the notes again as a thoughtful expression went over her face. He leaned back in his chair as he considered her expression as she read through what he had written down.

“What do you think?” He asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Well, I think your notes are pretty solid in terms of how to make them and what it would take to do that. But the notes seem to end after a point.”

“I admit that I have run into a bit of a block with it. I have been focusing on the ratios recently to try to get myself psyched up to push it further again. Since the last of the original stones broke I have been using the shards and pieces to make new gems through magical force.”

“Interesting,” Twilight said absently as she looked over the materials on the table.

He looked away from her for a moment before his eyes fell on the vault a few feet away from them. “Though there is one gem that I haven’t used or tried yet.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not sure how it will react, to be honest. A box of gems was sent to me with my projects from Celestia and I haven’t tried them. I’m not sure if using them is a good idea since I do not know-how readily available to get beyond what I already have. So I have avoided using them due to that.”

“Can I see them?” She asked as she followed where his eyes were looking.

He got to his hooves and went to the vault and set his horn in place to unlock it. The door swung open and he pulled the gem container out of it and his magic covered the case and held it aloft as he locked the door before going back to sit down. She looked at the case as he returned to the table and set the case down in between them. He opened the case as he sat back down and spun it to face her.

She stared at the gems as they glittered in the light. Their black color was solid and gave off no other color aside from dark even at their edges. He watched her closely as she stared at the stones, her eyes slightly narrowed as she looked at them.

“Any idea where they came from?” She finally asked after several seconds of silence.

“No clue. I haven’t even tried to look them up or ask about them, to be honest.” He admitted.

“Do you have any ideas about them, Kahl? Is he listening?”

“I am yes.” Kahl replied with a low chuckle. “I do not know where they might have come from no.”

“He’s listening and he has no idea where they might have come from,” Nix said to her.

He watched as Twilight leaned forward and leaned over the top of the jewel case and she seemed to be analyzing them as she looked closely at them. She was quiet as she leaned slightly back from her posture but after several seconds she remained to hover over them.

“Are you sure they don’t look familiar to you?” She asked as she looked up to him and he shook his head. “They look familiar to me.”

“Really?” He asked her as he leaned forward and tried to see what should be familiar to him.

“Yeah…” She fell silent. “OH!”

“What?”

“They look like the fossilized gems that are in the Canterlot museums.” She replied quickly.

Nix looked startled for several seconds by her certainty as he also leaned forward to look at them. “I guess they look similar.” He finally replied after several seconds.

“Do you think they could be one and the same?” She questioned.

“I guess.” He finally said to her as he looked at the gems.

He reached out a hoof and picked up one of the gems and held it in his hoof. He sat deeply in his chair and he stared at the gem closely. He was quiet for several seconds as she watched him.

“It’s a possibility I guess. To me, that just means that we can’t use them.”

“Why not?”

“They’re not readily available. Can you imagine how many of these we would need just to test them appropriately? It would take quite a while to gather a supply and even longer still to keep that supply flowing.”

Her face fell into uncertainty as she leaned back in her chair and sat down heavily. “I think we should try one of the little ones at least.”

“Why bother trying one?”

“What if we can combine the shards of the regular gems with the shards of this one if it breaks?” She reasoned and he motioned for her to go on as he listened to what she had to say. “If we can find the mixture that will give us what we want them maybe we only need a few of the fossilized gems to combine with the normal shards.”

“Hmm.” He made a noise in reply and put a hoof to his chin to think over what she had said. “Kahl?”

“I have to say that I hadn’t thought that those particular gems might have come from a time before.”

He looked at Twilight and she leaned forward and focused on him. “Hang on. Let me ask Kahl what he thinks.” She nodded as he focused on the dragon. “Could Mitsu be able to find more of them if we asked?”

“If we asked I’m sure he would be able to find large pockets of them if given the time to look.” Kahl replied easily.

He looked at Twilight as she gave a quiet giggle and he looked quizzically at her. She gave her head a slight tilt, looked past him, then back to him and he cringed as he realized that she was teasing him. He gave her a sheepish smile and she motioned for him to speak up.

“I was asking if we spoke to Mitsu would he be able to find more of those gems.” He said to her as he pointed to the case in front of him. “If we find out that they are strong enough to do it alone then obviously we need more of them.” She nodded in agreement.

“I hadn’t thought of asking the dragons to help out, to be honest. Kahl has no way to find them?”

“If they are close to the surface I might be able to. But if these are actually as fossilized as they appear then they would be buried deeper than what I can do normally on my own.” Kahl explained and Nix parroted his words to the mare.

“It’s an idea.” She said with a nod. “Do you think they would be willing to help out?”

“Mitsu is pretty agreeable so I don’t think he would have any issues if we explain why we are asking him for them. Ice and Suki are a bit iffy but Mitsu is the eldest and the calmest of them.”

“I think Kahl is pretty calm.” She giggled.

“Well yeah I think so too but I’m biased.” He agreed with a laugh.

Twilight barked a laugh and he heard Kahl chuckle in his mind as he put the gem in his hoof back in place with the others. The stones shone back at him in their velvet case and he was silent as he considered them and their uses.

20: Information Gained

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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.

21: Relating Loss

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Nix opened his eyes to find the walls of Kahl’s realm stretching out above and around him. Next to him, Twilight leaned on his shoulder as she breathed. He patted her leg as she shook her head and she blinked several times.

“Wow. That was different.” She said to him.

“You okay?” He asked her, his tone concerned.

“I’m okay. It was a little bit disorienting but I’m fine.” She assured him.

“As long as you’re okay.” He said to her as a light chuckle sounded out through his mind.

“She will be fine.” The dragon said to him with a light chuckle. “For her first time using the Earth's paths she did well. At least she managed not to pass out.”

Nix grimaced and Twilight waited for him to speak as he was talking to Kahl. “He was saying you didn’t pass out like he thought you might so you did well getting here.”

“He thought I would?” She asked him, her head slightly tilted.

“Considering her attachment to the Element of Magic and her own aptitude for it it’s not all that shocking that she handled it just fine.” Kahl added.

Nix parroted his words and Twilight smiled at the praise from the dragon. He led her forward as he made for the exit to Kahl’s area and into the entrance to Mitsu’s realm. At his hip Twilight breathed nervously and he flicked an ear to listen to her for a moment as he led her forward. As they neared the front doors he heard Twilight breathe out a deep breath at the size of the doors ahead of her. He started to reach out to Mitsu as he had the first time when the doors began to open on their own. Nix said nothing as Twilight paused behind him for a few steps as he kept walking ahead.

“Do they always open like that?” She asked as she trotted to catch up to him.

“No. Last time we had to reach out to Mitsu for him to open them for us. I’m guessing that this time he knew we were here.” He replied.

Nix said nothing further as Mitsu came into sight. The dragon said nothing as they approached but he gave them a deep nod as they neared him. They reached him and came to stand just in front of him to allow them to speak to him easily.

“Welcome to my realm, little mare.” Mitsu greeted her and the mare bowed her head in reply.

“Thank you, Mitsu.” She said to him.

“Kahl and Nix welcome back.” He said to them as Nix nodded as well.

“Thanks, Mitsu,” Nix replied.

“I trust you have news for me?” Mitsu asked as he lowered his head to speak to them.

“Your right,” Nix replied. “Twilight brought the letter to me a couple of days ago.”

“Is that why you brought her with you to our Realm?”

“That’s the main reason yes,” Nix admitted. “Plus if any of you have questions about the Princesses she would be able to answer it easier than I will be.”

“Is it good news?” Mitsu asked.

“It’s an answer,” Nix said to him.

Mitsu pulled his head back slightly at the stallion's reply. “That does not signal good news to me.”

Nix tried to look apologetic but his own concern about the news itself showed on his face. Mitsu brought his head back down to be closer to them.

”Do you think it would be better to tell all of you at once or separately?” Nix asked him.

“All of us together might be for the best,” Mitsu replied after a few seconds of thought.

“I disagree.” Kahl said to him.

“Oh?” Nix said as he tilted his head slightly at the dragon's comment. “Kahl says he disagrees and that it should be separate.”

“May I speak with him?” Mitsu asked as Nix nodded in reply.

Nix closed his eyes and he felt himself falling backward as Kahl took over.

Kahl opened his eyes and looked up at the dragon ahead of him. He gave a somber nod in reply and waited for the dragon to speak as Twilight moved a bit off to the side to listen.

“Why do you think separately is for the best?” Mitsu asked.

“I heard the news, nearly lost my temper and I am not as connected to the Tears as the three of you are.” Kahl began as Mitsu nodded for him to go on. “I frightened Twilight to the point of her thinking my flames would have burned her when I heard what she had to say. While they would not have harmed either of them it was quite upsetting for her.”

“You are certain that they would lose their composure as well?” Mitsu questioned.

“They are far more connected to the Tears as I am. My issue was feeling deeply insulted versus sorrow for the loss.” Kahl clarified. “Suki might be okay to handle but Ice is the one I would be worried about.”

Mitsu looked thoughtful for a moment before he looked at the mare with them. “You worry for her?”

“She has no defense against plunging temperatures as you or I do. I can be warmed by the flames of the world and you have the Earth to shelter you. Suki can warm the air but I am not sure he would do it for her.” Kahl explained.

“That is a fair point,” Mitsu admitted.

“While we can warm her to a certain extent we can only do so much.”

“Even the Earth can be frozen should the temperatures plummet enough,” Mitsu admitted with a sigh. “I am certain that we can protect her if we plan ahead for the possibility. Suki could harm her through the air but the Earth can protect her.” He said as Twilight tried not to look nervous. “What can you and your partner accomplish?”

“If I am in complete control then I can protect her body with warmth due to Nix not having enough control of the flames of the world. But that is if he is comfortable with it. I refuse to make a decision without consulting him.” Kahl reasoned.

Mitsu nodded in agreement and he leaned back a bit as he considered what he had been told. “How is his training with the flames going?”

“Pretty well considering his deep fear of the element itself,” Kahl replied. “It is a process to work through it.”

“Should you speak with him than about you remaining in control while we work with the others?” Mitsu asked as his head lowered to be closer to them.

“For Ice, I think that would be best. Suki, we can probably work with but with Ice, I am not as confident.” He replied as he cast a glance to the purple mare with them. “Twilight?”

“Yes?” She said as she looked at him, her eyes a bit wide at being addressed.

“Do you have a preference? We seem to be discussing your safety as if you are not in the room.” He said to her and she smiled in response.

“What do you think is best?” She asked him in reply.

“You have been listening in. So you have most likely formed an opinion by now.” He responded.

She looked thoughtful for a moment before she gave a gentle sigh. “I think having a dragon of fire in control when giving the dragon of water the news might be for the best. So I agree with what you’re thinking.”

“Then that is what we will do. We brought you here for a reason and you are under our protection because of that.” He commented. “I will have Nix in the background while the news is given and I will have control to allow me to combat cold.”

“How are you so sure he will lose his mind?” She asked.

“We are preparing for the worst-case scenario, little mare,” Mitsu said to her as his large eyes fell on her.

“Do you really think any of them will lose control?” Twilight asked.

“I am most worried about Ice since the odds of Mitsu losing control is slim. Despite being the one who has lost the most compared to the others. I can counter Earth with Flame if the need comes.” He explained.

“What about Suki? Wouldn’t he be able to use the air as a weapon?” She questioned.
“Fire cannot exist without oxygen.”

“The fire of the world is different but that is a fair point,” Kahl admitted. “But if the need comes we can also counter with the Earth.”

“Meaning?” Twilight said to him as she tilted her head slightly.

“Air cannot live without the Earth,” Mitsu told her as she looked at him. “The Earth creates the air to an extent so without me then he has nothing to create with.”

Nervousness filtered over her face as she considered what they had said. “I will speak with Nix to see what his opinion is.”

Both of them nodded as the pony sat down and his eyes closed. “Nix?”

“Huh?”

“Let me tell you what we conclusions we have come to.”

Kahl finished relating the conversation to Nix who was now paying more attention to them as he hovered on the edge of Kahl’s mind.

“Okay so I think you should be in control when it comes to Ice.” Nix said to him. “What about Mitsu?”

“I’m certain Mitsu will be the easiest,” Kahl replied. “I do not think we will be needing to fight with him if push comes to shove.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I am.” Kahl responded. “Mitsu has the most to be upset about due to the number of Tears that were taken from his side of the Catacombs. I’m fairly certain that he will internalize it and there might be a little bit of upheaval but nothing major.”

“Hmm.” Nix made a noise in response before he went on. “So we will be able to protect Twilight fairly easily with him then?”

“Yes. Should be simple.” Kahl replied.

“Okay so are you ready to see what will happen?” Nix asked him.

“If he does go out of control then the Realm will be able to absorb the punishment from him. If we tell him here then his Realm will be able to absorb the action from him.” Kahl informed him. “Same as if I went out of control mine would be able to absorb the fires.”

“If we use your Realm will that change anything?” Nix asked him in reply.

“If we were to use my Realm then the power I wield is made stronger.” Kahl replied.

“Maybe we move there to allow us to be the strongest?” Nix pointed out.

“That’s an idea.” Kahl admitted.

“Why don’t we use your area and that way we are at our strongest and they are at a bit of a disadvantage?”

“Agreed.” Kahl said to him. “The damage would be minimalized in there as well.”

“Would that keep them a bit off-balance as well?”

“It should. I’ll mention it.” Kahl opened his eyes and looked from the mare with them to the dragon that was close by as well. “Nix pointed out a good idea.”

“Oh?” Mitsu replied.

“We can move to my Realm and that will minimize any damage done due to the rest of you being off balance. It should allow us to minimize or even negate an outburst from one of you.” Kahl related to them.

“That is a fine idea,” Mitsu replied. “Well done Nix.”

“What do you mean? How will moving help?” Twilight asked.

“Each dragon has their Seat of Power or their Realm that they live in when we are here. We are currently standing inside Mitsu’s Realm and that amplifies his power. Mitsu is the strongest in this areas while the others are strongest in their own respective Seats.”

“I see.” She replied with a nod. “I agree with Nix. Using your Seat of Power might be in our best interest.”

“Follow me,” Kahl said as he got to his hooves and led the pair of them out of the Realm of Earth and back to Fire.

As he led them back to his Seat Kahl felt Nix’s nervousness the closer they got. “You ready for this?” Kahl asked the anxious Unicorn.

“No.” Nix replied quickly. “But we are going to do it anyway.”

The doors to Kahl’s realm remained open as an Elemental came toward them and it paused as it began to charge power. Kahl snorted and the Elemental paused and flowed back the way it had come.

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

“That was one of the Guardians we talked about the last time you and I spoke,” Kahl said to her. “It was aiming that bit of power at you.”

“Why?”

“You’re an unknown pony. The last time we were here we calibrated the Elementals to consider ponies a threat and attack accordingly. I told it to back off and it went back the way it came.” He related to her.

“Oh. Thank you for that.” She said, an air of relief in her voice.

They walked out into the center of Kahl’s Realm and Kahl sat down with twilight at his side. The mare sat down at his side and the dragon laid down in front of them.

“What have you discovered? I gather from your demeanor and our conversation that nothing good came from the letter.” Mitsu commented.

“Twilight?” Kahl said to her and the mare gave a nervous smile and breathed out a deep sigh.

“Okay. So we got a response from her and according to what I read the Dragons Tears were taken by an archaeological team sent by Princess Luna into the Dragon Lands. They were sent to find precious gems and ore for study. She sent them a couple of months before Nix got the Tears.”

Mitsu stared at the mare as she finished speaking. His large eyes stared almost blankly at her as seconds went by. Twilight started as the ground under them began to tremble and quiver.

“Be ready,” Kahl whispered to the mare.

Twilight nodded and leaned back on her haunches, trying to back away slowly from the dragon.

“Should we try to keep him calm?” Nix asked from the back of his mind.

Kahl gave a nod and Twilight looked at him, her eyes wide. “Mitsu. We can now easily find the ponies who committed the theft through Luna. If we choose to involve her then she can lead us in the right direction. Our search just became simpler.”

Mitsu simply stared at the pair of them as the shaking became more prevalent and the tempo of it increased. Kahl called on the power of his realm to try to stabilize the ground under them and the shaking lessened slightly, enough to keep Twilight from stumbling should they need to stand up.

“Should we do something?” Nix asked him, his voice cautious.

“There is nothing we can do at this point. I have already lessened the shaking of the cavern but that is the limit.” Kahl replied.

“I am so sorry Mitsu,” Twilight said to the dragon as he continued to stare at the pair of them.

Mitsu blinked as she spoke and he seemed to be seeing her for the first time since coming to their Realm. The Dragon of Earth said nothing as the Earth stopped shaking and went still. Mitsu breathed out a deep sigh and closed his eyes as he put his head back and looked up at the ceiling. Kahl could see that he was fighting with his Element to keep it under control and them safe from its power. He kept his own power at the forefront as a measure of caution.

“Are you ready for us to go on?” Kahl asked him.

Mitsu brought his head back down to look at them. “Did she know what those gems were?” He asked, his voice husky.

“The letter didn’t say anything about her knowing what they are. I also didn’t ask for that information specifically without saying more than what I was allowed. I’m pretty sure that all she knew is that they came from the Dragon Lands.” Twilight said to him as she leaned forward and settled back into a relaxed posture.

“I need a moment Kahlem.” Mitsu said as he got to his paws and padded heavily away from them.

Kahl nodded as he turned to leave them behind for the moment. Twilight gulped nervously as the dragon walked away, careful to keep his long tail high above their heads to avoid hitting them. The mare looked even sadder as the dragon left them behind. She looked at the pony beside her as Kahl watched him leave the realm behind and head in the direction of his own Seat.

“Is he going to be okay?” She whispered to him.

“He needs time to come to terms with what he has heard in his own way,” Kahl said to her.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak when a roar shook the cavern and the mare cringed under the sound. Kahl closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly in respect for the sound as it shook the cavern. He raised his head and looked at the upset mare beside them.

“Let him have his time. He will come back to us when he is ready.” The dragon told her.

“Does it have a meaning or was it just sound?” She asked, her voice quiet and respectful.

“It was a roar meant to convey sorrow and despair to those close enough to hear it. It comes from the Language of Dragons and only our kind can understand it.”

Sadness flooded the mare's face as the sound faded and he felt Nix shift in his mind as sorrow flooded the Unicorn. “Will he be okay?” Nix asked.

“He will in time,” Kahl replied aloud.

“What do we do now?” Twilight asked him.

“We decide if Luna knew more than she says she did or we think she does,” Kahl commented. “If she knew where she was sending them then she has committed a crime upon the Dragons and that cannot be ignored. If I am right then Mitsu is now deciding how to react if she knows or doesn’t. If she had no idea then we need the ponies she sent.”

“Are you certain of that or are you hoping?” Twilight asked.

“It is a simple hope for her sake. The hope from before that she knew nothing has been dashed and we are left with new ones.” Kahl replied.

Twilight closed her eyes as a sniffle went through her and she looked up as the sound of heavy paws came back toward them. Kahl watched as Mitsu rejoined them and laid down close by them. Twilight sniffled again as she opened her eyes and regarded the enormous dragon.

“Are you going to be okay?” She asked, her voice quiet.

Mitsu was quiet for several seconds before he gave the mare a somber nod. “Now we need to call Suki,” Mitsu said his voice strained and quiet.

“Right,” Twilight said to him as she trembled for a moment. “I have to admit I’m a little scared.”

“We will keep you safe little one,” Mitsu said to her as he regarded her. “I may be upset but I will treat your life as if it were my own.”

Twilight smiled through her fear and nodded in thanks. “Okay. I trust you both.”

“Will she be okay?” Nix asked.

“We will make sure she is.” Kahl assured him. “If I have to use every bit of power we have she will be safe and unharmed.”

“Okay.” Nix said to him. “I just want her in the same condition as when we left.”

“She will be.”

Mitsu raised his head as Kahl nodded for him to summon Suki. A roar echoed through the Realms as he called on the Dragon of Air. Twilight shuddered at the sound but remained still at his side. He felt Nix shudder at the edge of his mind as the roar echoed into the distance. Minutes passed by as nothing happened.

“Do you think he ignored us?” Twilight asked.

“No. He heard.” Kahl assured her.

“How are you so certain?”

“That roar is designed to be heard even into the world around us.” He informed her. “He would have to work to ignore it.”

She nodded in understanding and waited with them. The sound of wind echoed through the Realms and soon Suki emerged close by them. The Air Dragon saw them and his eyes went a bit wide at the sight of the young mare. He came to stand close by them and the three of them oriented themselves to look at him. He regarded each of them slowly and his eyes remained on the young mare.

“You bring news, little pony?” He said to her and she nodded. “Finally. Your Princess kept us waiting far too long.”

“Be at ease,” Mitsu said to him. “This you must hear. Show respect for her courage to bring it to you personally.”

Suki cringed under the admonishment from the Earth-Dragon. “Very well. It is true that you have the courage to come to us.”

“I was told that it was a better idea to come to you just in case you have questions.” She said to the dragon.

The dragon nodded and laid down in front of them. “What news do you bring?”

“Nothing good,” Twilight admitted with a deep sigh. “The letter I got said that Princess Luna had sent an archaeological team to the Dragon Lands in search of gems and ore for study. The gems are what they brought back to her. I don’t; think she knew… what they are… But…”

Twilight went silent as the wind picked up as the dragon began to snarl. He got to his paws as his eyes stared at her. Kahl got to his hooves and Mitsu did the same as they both moved to guard her should they need to. The wind whipped at their manes and tails as it gusted across Kahl’s Seat of Power. Kahl reached out to his realm and used its power to mitigate the power Suki was releasing. The Air Dragons face contorted into a rage as he stared at the mare. A windbreak erupted from the ground to protect the mare and stallion from the heavy gusts of wind.

“You protect her?!” Suki roared.

“She had no part in the theft. Do not punish those who do not deserve to be punished.” Mitsu argued. “You know as well as I do that she did not have to come to tell us. Kahlem and Nix could have come alone.”

“I do not care for her courage! I will ruin her and her kind.” Suki snarled as the wind grew stronger.

Kahl reached deeper into his realm for the power of the flames of the world and kept them close to the surface of his Realm. Suki lunged for the mare and both Mitsu and Kahl reacted. Fire erupted from the Realm and slammed into Suki’s belly throwing him off his paws. The Air Dragon roared and scrambled back to his paws as Kahl pushed Nix’s mind back to allow him to use more of the flames of the world. Fire roared across the ground as Suki grunted under the heat that came from the Realm around him.

“You as well, Kahlem?!”

“Calm yourself, you fool!” Kahl roared in reply. “You are targeting the wrong pony.”

Suki got to his paws and once more came for the mare a protective barrier of hardened earth enveloped her and protected her from the Air Dragons' rage. Kahl charged into the fight with Suki and used the power he had that he shared with Nix as well as his own to combat the other dragon. Fire poured from his body as Mitsu walked up behind him and the pair of them went into combat with the other dragon, trying to quell his rage.

22: Battle Between Them

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Kahl charged forward as Suki roared and the wind whipped his mane. Kahl heard the wind start to lower and he realized what the Air Dragon was about to do. He went still as he began to channel his power into a skill that Kahl knew could kill the mare with them.

“Mitsu! Stop him!” He called out as the Earth Dragon thundered past him.

Kahl knew that the Air Dragon needed time to pull the oxygen from around them. It would affect Kahl and Mitsu in a small way but it would prove fatal for Twilight. He looked up as Mitsu collided violently with the white dragon, disrupting his focus on the skill he has been trying to use. As long as they remained close to him and kept him moving then he wouldn’t be able to use that particular skill. Kahl’s hooves thundered across the stone ground as he weaved into Suki's legs. Fire flowed off of his body as the flames licked at the fur of Suki’s body.

“Damn you Kahlem!” The dragon roared as he tried to stomp his paws down onto the stallion.

The flames licked across his fur and scales, forcing him to move and keep away from them. Mitsu raised onto his rear legs and his paws slapped against Sukis’ side, staggering him. Mitsu raised a paw and slapped the other dragon onto the ground. Suki rolled away from them and Kahl scrambled away from the flailing legs of the dragon. Kahl raced ahead to be in front of the dragon's head. He leaped for his head and scaled the dragon’s body, his hooves gripped the scales as he scaled him.

“Calm down Suki!” Kahl shouted at him. “Punishing an entire race is not the answer.”

Suki snarled and his head jerked and Kahl held tightly to the dragon’s scales. He jumped away from him as the dragon snapped his jaws at him, trying to bite him. Mitsu brought his paws down on the white dragon’s side for a moment before he reeled back from him. Kahl leaped as far back as he was able to avoid his paws and teeth. He spun on his heel and raced back to him as the white was putting his head down to push himself up with his neck as Kahl landed in front of his nose. Kahl spun on his heels, raised his hind legs, and delivered a fire-wreathed buck to the dragon’s snout. Mitsu fell back as the dragon got to his paws and Kahl ran to be close to Mitsu as they waited to see if Suki had given in to their assault. Their answer came quickly when the winds picked up and buffeted the two of them once more.

Twilight looked out from within her protective cocoon. She could see the fight as it spiraled into a battle of dragons. Fear bubbled against her mind as she watched them fight. She saw the lone pony racing around Suki’s paws and lower legs. She watched as Kahl raced around, fire flowing off of his body. She watched as the wind whipped over the pair of them and she felt helpless as she stayed safe in her protective shelter.

“I have to help somehow.” She said to herself as her horn lit.

A protective shield flowed over the pony as she focused on a spell that her elder brother had taught her years ago. She saw the pony slow for a moment as the shield went into place and he seemed to look over his shoulder for a moment before he raced forward. She breathed out a deep breath and it caught in her throat for a moment as the pony rolled under the dragon’s paws.

“Oh by Celestia.” She breathed, fear in her voice as she watched the fight go on.

Kahl poured more power into the realm around him and the air immediately around the white dragon began to heat up. Mitsu roared at the sudden heat but he didn’t say anything against it. Suki roared in response to the Earth Dragon’s call and the pony called out in reply to the pair of them. Each of them issued a different call of challenge and rage. The wind picked up around them and it increased in power as the seconds passed. Mitsu snarled above him and Kahl was forced to retreat several yards back as the wind picked up. His hooves gripped the stone floor as the winds flowed over him, nearly knocking him off his hooves. He took shelter by one of Mitsu’s paws to use it as a windbreak to allow him to stay on his hooves. Mitsu squared up his paws to shield the pony as he brought his head down to look at him.

“Get back Kahlem. You cannot withstand the winds as they are.” He said and the pony grimaced as he nodded. “I will subdue him.”

Kahl broke from the dragon's paws and made for the shelter that housed Twilight. He got on the other side of the shelter to avoid being thrown off his hooves as he used the shelter as a windbreak. He looked to the side and Twilight's bright eyes stared back at him. He could see fear and wonder in her gaze as she looked back at him.

“Now what?” She asked, her voice loud to be heard over the winds.

“Now we hope Mitsu can subdue him.” He said back to her.

“Your done helping?”

“I can’t withstand the winds in this form.” He said back to her. “I’ll get thrown off my hooves if I stand much closer.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” She replied. “Can I do anything to help him from here?”

“No.” He commented. “If I thought he needed help I would have remained out there.”

“Hmm.” She said nothing in reply as she looked back to the ongoing fight.

Kahl could sense his Realm reacting to the fight as it raged across from him. The two enormous dragons raged as teeth and claws flew between them. Beside him, he could hear Twilight panting as she watched with him. His skin rippled as his Realm reacted strongly to each roar and gust of wind. He knew that Mitsu was not able to call on the Earth in his realm due to the flames of the World being strongest where his Seat was located. His eyes remained on the fight as Mitsu threw Suki to the floor and brought his paws down on the white dragon.

“Can you do anything from here?” Twilight asked him as she looked back at him.

The Fire Dragon was silent as he considered what she had asked. He knew that he could command his Seat of Power to fight in his stead but to do that he would need to be fairly close to allow him to direct it so as not to hurt Mitsu. As minutes went past him he considered what he needed to do to allow the fight to slow down. Mitsu was thrown to the ground as Suki brought his claws down on the other dragon’s skin. Kahl felt his Realm heave as the two dragons fought. Even as far back as he was standing the winds buffeted his body. Kahl’s skin trembled as the fight went on and he watched them closely.

He looked to the side and found the mare staring at him, her eyes wide and he could see fear in her gaze. Her eyes watched him for a moment before she looked up as the ground trembled under their hooves.

“There's nothing you or I can do to help?” She asked him, her voice quiet despite her yelling at him to be heard over the winds.

He opened his mouth to tell her no when Mitsu roared in pain and his Realm heaved at the sound. His eyes fell on the wound that had scored the other dragon even from afar. It had cut deep into his hard armored hide. He took a step away from Twilight and he watched as Suki tore into the other dragon further. He looked back at the mare and she gave him a knowing look. She nodded and mouthed for him to be careful. He reached out to the power that lay dormant in his Realm and his hooves began to carry him carefully across the windswept stones.

Twilight watched as her friend walked away from the shelter Mitsu had erected for her. The fire began to billow off of his body as he walked. She felt the area under her hooves begin to tremble with growing intensity. She chanced a look down to see if the stones had changed in any way and she found that they were simply moving slightly under her. Her purple eyes fell back on the lone pony as the fire began to build around him and form an almost armor around him.

“He still is too small to fight a dragon.” She said to herself as she watched him move away from her.

Fear made watch him closely as he moved away from her and closer to the dragons. As he moved she saw the fire beginning to warp around him. She watched as his hooves left the ground as he was lifted into the air by the fire as it warped continually around him. The mare’s mouth slowly dropped open as the image of an enormous dragon came into view as Kahl walked away from her. The dragon was made of pure fire and its scales were a darker red than the rest of its body. The ground only trembled more as he moved further away from her.

“Oh, my Goddess.” She whispered aloud as she nearly fell to her rump in shock.

She watched as the form become more solid and the fire dragon charged the last few yards and she gasped as a force of nature collided with the back of the white dragon and pulled him to the ground. She watched as Mitsu reeled back at the sight of the Fire dragon as the Earth dragon left the fight. She couldn’t see the pony inside the dragon's form any longer but she knew that he had to be there somewhere. As far as she could tell the body was made of pure flame and the fires of the world had helped to build him. As he dragged the white dragon to the ground and drove his paws down violently on the other dragon. As Twilight watched a smile came to her muzzle.

“Get him, Kahl.” She said to his back.

Kahl brought the white dragon to the ground and brought his paws viciously down on his back and shoulders. Kahl reached out to his Realm further and the paths of the world reacted to his call channeling their power into his form. Fire erupted from the ground directly around them, preventing the Air Dragon from fleeing. The dragons roared in challenge to each other as the fight went on. Kahl tore into the white dragon hide and his fangs bit into the back of his head, driving his head to the ground. He knew that killing him was possible now that he had his head but he was not out for the other's life. He merely wanted him to give up.

Mitsu limped to stand close by Twilight to protect her further if the need should come. He watched as the Fire Dragon tore into the other and pinned him to the ground, snarling.

“Mitsu?!” Twilight yelled for his attention and he looked down to see her. “What is happening? I’ve never seen him like this.”

“I have not either little mare,” Mitsu said to her as he lowered his head to be right next to her to allow her to hear him without yelling back and forth. “Kahl has called on the power of the world itself to aid him and this is what it is doing to help. He has become what we call an Elemental Dragon and he has the absolute power of the world’s fires at his beck and call.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

“He is fine little mare,” Mitsu assured her. “In this state, there is no way he can lose to Suki.”

“He’s got him pinned so is that the end of the fight?”

“No,” Mitsu said to her. “In this place, Kahlem holds all of the power but Suki is past seeing reason at this point. His rage is all he can see or feel. We had thought that Ice would be the one to fight with us but it seems we did not think far enough.”

“I was going to ask about that but what will happen if we go to tell Ice and he fights as well?”

“Then we allow Kahlem to do the fighting for us.” He admitted.

He saw Twilight pull her head back from the gap that he had allowed to form in the stone to allow her to watch the fight easily. Now that fire and wind tore through the Realm around them he stood as a barrier to protect the mare further with his body.

“Would Suki have killed you?”

“He was trying to,” Mitsu said to the mare.

Twilight fell silent as the dragons fell silent as the wind beat against Kahl’s form. She could see the fires being whipped into tornadoes around them as Suki managed to get his head away from Kahl’s jaws, whether that was due to Kahl releasing his jaws or just due to Suki twisting free, she couldn’t tell. The dragons parted for a moment and Kahl tore at his hide with his claws. The more they fought the more Twilight noticed that they only used the Elements to keep others at bay unless they were deliberately trying to harm or protect a group. Mitsu did not use the Earth in the fight before Kahl had stepped in and now Kahl did not use the Fires directly against Suki.

Kahl growled as Suki had managed to get away from him. The Fire Dragon said nothing as Suki stared at him. Kahl allowed the fires of his Seat of Power to swirl around them and ring the area around them to allow him to move as he wished and keep the white dragon close by. He said nothing as he knew that nothing short of a miracle would get the other dragon to listen to him. His eyes stayed on the white dragon as he seemed to pause just short of attacking him once more. The Fire Dragon was quiet as he considered his next move. He was not sure how long he would be able to maintain his current form and he didn’t dare waste it.

Fire coursed over him and he kept it circulating around and over him. He knew that if it went on he could outlast the Air Dragon given time but only if he could force him to keep moving. He could see understanding coming over the other faces as he must be realizing that trying to fight Kahl in his realm was foolish but at the same time a rage coursed through him that he could not control. Learning what they had just now had tipped him over the edge and Kahl had not realized just how close to the edge he had been. They had been worried about how Ice would take the news but it turned out to be Suki they had needed to watch.

He nearly sighed in frustration as Suki charged him and he brought the power of his Seat of Power down on top of him but brought the Fire tornadoes that had been circling them down on top of him at a moment’s notice. The force behind the attack drove the other to his knees and Kahl descended on him a moment later. His jaws landed around the back of his neck and his teeth dug in and held him tightly. His eyes fell on the now struggling form of the Air Dragon and he held it as tightly as he dared without causing irreparable damage to his fellow Element. The fire continued to stream over his body and he could feel it growing in strength as a roar cut through the air to his left. He looked to the left to see Ice standing off to the side and watching as he had come into the Realm through its main door.

“What in the Elements is going on here?!” He roared as he watched the two struggle.

Suki tried to call out to him as Kahl’s teeth dug in and he used his grip to push the other to the ground. He looked back as Mitsu came to stand by Ice and explain the situation quickly to him. To Kahl’s surprise a moment later Ice had joined the fight and was trying to help subdue Suki. Ice began to crust over the Air Dragons form as Fire began to circulate and surround his limbs and neck. With Ice’s help, he was now able to lean more of his weight and size onto Suki’s form and drive him into the ground under them.

“Hold him Kahlem!” Ice shouted.

Kahl said nothing in reply as his jaws were still circled around the back of Suki's neck and head. He leaned as much of his weight as he dared onto the task of keeping the other dragon subdued and pushed him to the ground. He closed his eyes for a moment as Suki’s claws dug at the form he held. He was not sure if it would leave injuries on his pony form or not but he was past worrying about it for too long. He opened his eyes as the Air whipped around them only creating more fire tornadoes and Kahl used them to push Sukis’ hips down. Mitsu jumped into the fray and went to the dragons as Suki was finally subdued by all of them and the winds died out and went still.

Kahl’s jaw ached as he held the dragon immobile and his fires still circled them. His Realm was still on alert and he could sense the power that it held, the power he could command if the need for it came. He glanced back and the shield that covered Twilight still stood as he could hear her calling out to them to free her. Ice was the first to speak as the three of them were still.

“Now. Can we have a civilized conversation? Or do we need to subdue you further?” Ice said his voice low as he threatened further action.

Suki fell still and Kahl was not able to see his face as he seemed to be considering what had been said. Mitsu was the only one who could easily see him and he patted Kahl’s hip to tell him to release his grip.

“Release him Kahlem. This fight has been finished.” The Earth Dragon said to him, his voice low.

Kahl growled as he slowly released his jaw and let the other free. His jaw ached a bit as he slowly backed up to allow the bleeding dragon to get to his paws. His gaze was enraged as he looked at the three dragons. Kahl moved to stand more in his face as his eyes fell on the shelter that had been erected to protect the small mare. Kahl made sure he knew that he would not hesitate to protect her should the need arise once more.

“Now can someone explain why exactly the three of you were embroiled the way you were?” Ice asked as he sat down.

“We were informed exactly how the Tears had come to be in the Alicorn’s possession,” Kahl explained and Ice nodded. “The ponies that took them were sent into the Dragon Lands to find ore and gems. They found ours and took them. They were sent by Princess Luna.”

“I see.” Ice said to him as Suki watched the Water Dragons' reaction. “And that is what caused you to go feral?” He said with a wave of his paw to Suki.

“Are you not angry by what you have heard?” Suki snarled.

“Of course I am.” Ice growled in reply. “But that does not mean I am going to attack the young mare that has helped us.” He replied. “Yes I was told that you were after her but I was not told the full reason.”

Kahl said nothing as they spoke and he slowly made his way back to the mare. He lowered his head to her and she stared at him wide-eyed. “Are you all right?” He asked her.

“I’m fine.” She assured him. “Can you let me out of here?”

Kahl paused before he pulled the lid on the shelter off to look back over his shoulder to the other three dragons. He didn’t act immediately and he heard the mare give an annoyed huff in response to his delay. He closed his eyes for a moment as he reached his paw carefully to peel the top off of her shelter and allow her to get out. He paused as she thanked him and he suddenly chuckled at her.

“What?” She asked him.

“Why didn’t you teleport out?” He asked her.

She opened her mouth as his question struck her and she put a hoof to her face in embarrassment. “I forgot.” She admitted with a sheepish look up at him.

“Come.” He said to her and she fell in at his side.

The pair of them reached the other three dragons and Suki stared at her as she joined them. She looked up at him and tried to look apologetic to get him to calm further. “I’m sorry, Suki.” She said to him. “I know it’s not me that you’re angry with and you’re lashing out at ponies in general but I’m still sorry about what has been done.”

Suki was silent as she spoke to him and he closed his eyes to look away from her. Kahl said nothing as the Air Dragon processed what had been said. He opened his eyes to get to his paws and walk away from them to a spot removed from the group. Ice moved to be close to him but still give him space. Kahl knew that Suki was aware they would not let him leave them without him giving his word that he would not attack the ponies indiscriminately. Letting him leave now would endanger any pony he came across and they would not permit it.

“Now what do we do?” Twilight asked of them.

“Now?” Kahl replied and she nodded. “I am not sure, to be honest with you. We got the answers we sought but going after a monarch of a different land is out of our depth.”

“You are right.” Mitsu agreed. “We cannot punish her as we would any dragon of the lands. Ponies do not even know we exist much less know enough to attack and steal from us.”

“Their princess knows of us though.” Suki snarled from his place removed from them. “She knows.”

“We know.” Mitsu agreed. “That just means we have to go about this in a different fashion. Do you know if there are more Tears missing than what we're given to you?”

“As far as I know what we were given is all of them,” Kahl said back to him. “Princess Luna has been back from her exile for only a short time so they were stolen fairly recently.”

“That just makes this more insulting.” Suki snapped.

“I agree with that.” Ice said to them. “We must act.”

“I agree,” Kahl said to him. “What we need to discuss is the actions we take now.”

“How do we proceed Mitsu?” Ice asked. “You are the eldest of us and the one with the most experience.”

“I have no experience with our honored dead being stolen,” Mitsu argued gently. “Our honored dead have always been safe with us and we must also give thought to how we break the news to those of our descendants that are here.”

Kahl was each of them cringe at the thought of breaking the news to their and their forebear’s descendants. “Not a great conversation to have.”

“You wouldn’t know.” Suki snarled. “You have not had children stolen.”

“That’s true.” Kahl soothed. “I do not know of that pain and I cannot know of it. But through each of you, I see the agony it brings.”

He saw Twilight tremble at the other tone and he reached out a paw to try to soothe her. Mitsu closed his eyes for a moment before he spoke.

“We can each figure out how to break the news on our own time.” He said to them and each of them nodded. “I would recommend doing it in that form Kahlem. I do not think they would react to the pony form you are trapped in.”

“I am not trapped,” Kahl argued. “But I see your point.”

“How do you have that form anyway?” Ice asked him.

“To be honest I am not sure,” Kahl replied as he looked at the form he now used.

“Well you should figure it out and use it to your advantage,” Suki growled as he rejoined them. “It behooves us to consider our ability to do battle with our new enemies.”

“The ponies are not an enemy Suki,” Kahl argued. “Only one of them has gone against us.”

“Yet we sit here wondering what to do while she could be sending more to rob us.” The Air Dragon spat.

“I doubt she will send more. And even if she did they would not survive this time now that the Elementals have been calibrated properly.” Mitsu replied.

“Says you,” Suki argued. “How do we know that we have not been robbed again?”

“We would know.” Ice said to him. “Have any ponies traipsed through your Realm, Mitsu?”

“No. I would know since I have not left it.” Mitsu informed them.

“So we have not been robbed since,” Kahl said to the still fuming Air Dragon. “But I can understand your concern, Suki.”

“The doors have been safeguarded as well,” Ice added. “Mitsu and I added further magic to the main door to alert each of us if it is tampered with. Each door has been layered with magic to alert us should they get past the main door.”

“I added traps within it should anything other than one of us gain entry. They will activate when they come in contact with one who is not permitted within.” Mitsu explained.

“See Suki?” Kahl said to the white and he huffed in reply. “There is little chance they could even under the best circumstances sneak past all of that to rob us twice.”

Suki growled under his breath as he fell silent, his arguments falling silent. Twilight took a step forward and looked up at each of them.

“I know I have no right to ask you anything considering the news I brought with me.” She said to them and all three were now watching her. “But can you simply reach out to Princess Luna and ask her what they were originally after and if they were told to hunt through your Lairs?”

“…” Kahl was silent as he consider what she had just said. “Why did you have to mention that?”

She opened her mouth as Suki roared. “She had to have known!”

Twilight's eyes went wide as Kahl got to his paws and took a step to protect the mare once more. “Easy Suki. Even if she did we can’t punish an entire species for the fault of one.”

Suki had gotten to his paws as each of them mirrored him and was now watching him closely. Blood still dribbled slowly from the wounds to his neck and the back of his head. He could see Ice warring with himself about how to act and whose side to take. Fire lanced up from the ground, forming great whips that surrounded the limbs, neck, and barrel of the Air Dragon.

“Don’t make me do more than this Suki.” Kahl threatened. “I will put you down if the need comes. You know what I can and cannot do by now.”

Ice sat down heavily and sighed. “This becomes more and more muddied the more we run it around between us.”

“I agree,” Mitsu said to him. “But we must discuss it even if it hurts each of us.”

Ice nodded and seemed to have chosen his side for the moment. “We must talk this out and keep our tempers in check. I will vent my anger out later in a place where I cannot hurt others who are innocent in this mess.”

“As will I.” Mitsu agreed and sat back down.

Suki stared at each of them before he allowed the whips that were surrounding him to drag his hips down till he was sitting once more. The whips slowly dissolved and flowed back into the ground and melted back into it. Kahl sat down as well and Mitsu patted his side to thank him for acting as he did. Twilight backed up and sat down heavily and lowered her head as Suki glared mercilessly at her.

“Be at ease Suki. The mare had no part in it.” Mitsu said to him. “If she did she would not be here to tell you personally.”

Suki growled and looked at the upset mare. “I don’t care if she knew. There must be a cost for such actions against us.”

“I agree.” Ice said to him. “But we cannot go against all of the pony kind for the actions of one and her lackeys.”

“So we are back to deciding what we do now,” Kahl said to them. “I agree that something must be done and reparations paid. But… To what extent can we hold her accountable?”

“How do you mean?” Ice asked.

“If she sent them here after nothing more than ore and gems then she had no way of knowing that they traipsed into our Realms. If she knew then that is a different matter entirely.” Kahl explained. “If she sent them directly to us then we have a bigger issue on our paws.”

“What does your Pact Partner say to this Kahlem?” Mitsu asked him.

“He has not heard what we have been discussing. If you wish to hear from him I will need to release this form and bring him forward.”

“I see,” Mitsu replied.

“Why?” Ice asked.

“Because the pony fears fire, you memory lacking fool.” Suki snarled.

Ice looked at the other dragon with murderous intent for a moment before he looked at Kahl, who appeared to be trying not to laugh at him. “Do not laugh at me.” He said to the Fire Dragon.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Kahl said to him in reply.

Kahl cleared his throat and managed not to laugh at the other dragon’s expression. “Anyway. Suki, will you be attacking any pony you come across once you leave here?”

Suki nearly snarled at him as he spoke. “No. I give you my word that I will remain here and not attack any of those little ponies in retribution.” He spat the words little ponies as though they were poison in his mouth.

“I trust your word,” Kahl said as he bound Suki's words to the real world with a few words.

Kahl closed his eyes as he released the magic and fire back into his Realm with a thought. He felt his body shrink as his hooves hit the stone under him. He felt Nix stir in the back of his mind as the fire faded to nothing around him.

“Hello, Nix.” He greeted the pony.

“What did I miss?” He asked carefully.

A Pact to Live

by OblivionShadow

1: A Village Burned to Ruin...

2: Move out...

3: Nights Pass By...

4: Explanations and Recollections...

5: Tests and Choices...

6: Reconnect...

7: Hiding and Apologies...

8: Redo...

9: Nightmare Night...

10: Lessons...

11: A Hearts Gemstone...

12: Afflictions, No...

13: A Message sent

14: Dragons and Gatherings...

15: Behind the Doors...

16: Testing Magic

17: A Secret Told

18: Discussions

19: Working in the Meantime

20: Information Gained

21: Relating Loss

22: Battle Between Them