Draconis calmly checks in with all of her subjects in the cave. then, seeing everyone is ok, she emerges from the cave. using one wing she fans the smoke away, causing the trail to pause for a bit. She clopped away, searching for a good place to dig up some jewels.

Draconis used a gem-seeking spell on a spot in the glimmering cave. there she sees some lapis, diamond and ruby slightly spaced out. she backs away and an earth dragon digs the jewels up.

Draconis took the jewels, thanking the dragon, and put them in the pile. the earth dragon sealed the hole back up.

Draconis turns with a gasp to the pony who had destroyed her Alicorn spell. then she makes the secret gesture for her subjects to silently go to the secret exit. Draconis' cutiemark began to glow, and she shook her mane, making it messy.

Draconis hissed. "what do you want?" she spread her wings out, but not showing the sharp spines between her feathers. she flicked an ear as a jewel came clattering to the cave floor. half of her dragons were in the tunnel by now.

"Alright, then. i can cast a spell to take care of that. but you could've said so without breaking my spell." Draconis sighed. "well, goodbye then." her cutirmark stopped glowing, and she smoothed out her mane.

"oh? what is that?"

"hmm...alright. anything else then?" almost all of Draconis' subjects were in the tunnels and out of the cave. she didn't bother telling them to come back, as this... thing... looked a little sketchy.

"actually, me and my subjects are overdue for a move anyways." the last few dragons had been taking chunks from the stack of jewels. by the time the last dragon disappeared, the whole stack was gone.

"well, when the time comes for us to move again, we will come back here."

"that is a secret that i just don't toss around." Draconis responded firmly, a slight frowm forming on her face. her cutiemark flashed threateningly.

"what do you mean, 'my loss'? are you going to live in this crystal cave?" Draconis demanded.

Draconis sighed. "ok, i'm being a bit harsh, aren't i? i suppose i'll give you a chance. our recent home is in the Everfree forest."

"then, shall we go there? i mean, it's only a matter of time until you find the cave."

Dragonis spread her wings and shot quickly into the air. she whipped around the trees and passed Zecora's hut. Zecora saw Draconis coming and quickly covered the windows. Draconis sighed when she saw black in the window. after awhile, she slowed to a halt at a small hill.

Draconis just shrugged. she put a hoof in the grass, and suddenly an opening appeared. "it's one of my more complicated spells...and older ones as well. it only reacts to dragon power."

Inside all of her dragons were getting settled, and there were a few new ones. "i suppose, if you don't think about it."

"that's why i said it was an old spell. now, what kind of help were you talking about?" Draconis asked.

"ok. what are those?"

"well, i said it was an old spell, not old magic. i just haven't refreshed the spell this move. but i suppose you could help make it stronger."

"ok. well...where do we start?"

*hoof face* "well...perhaps we could try to combine our spells? i can tell you mine, and we can work together to make it like what you said."

"calling upon the dragons here, scales like rock, hearts like stone. make this hill into a bowl, fit to carry a thousand beasts. take the tomb and seal it, with the might of a dragon's heart. and only those who are chosen, who are pure, who have a heart of a dragon. only they can break the seal, and step inside this haven."

Draconis felt a red flag go up in her mind. "what language is that? perhaps i shouldn't of brought this creature here..."

"what language was that? i've never heard that before, and i know a lot of languages."

"ah, ok. i don't speak dragon's language when i cast a spell, but i'm guessing i'll have to if i ever want to cast a strong spell. am i correct?"

"in what ways? ... you don't HAVE to tell me, of course, but i'm just curious."

"dragon magic is a strong magic as well, but not really known. hm...i wonder... if we were to join forces against Equestria and the lands beyond, would we be able to rule the entirety of it and overthrow the Alicorn princesses?"

Draconis laughed at the name. "oh please. you said it yourself: dark magic is the strongest magic. it be more like 'Age of Darkness'."

"it has? do you mean that other ponies and creatures are using dark magic?"

Draconis took a step back. "wait...evil?" then she sighed. "why am i scared? Celestia already thinks i'm evil, so she would expect me to jump in joy for this news." she sat down, remembering when Celestia and Luna had banished her from Equestria. of course, that was before Princess Twilight, and when Princess Cadance still ruled the Crystal kingdom.

"hm? what did you say? sorry, i was just...remembering...something..."

"that's because it's CHAOS magic! chaotic magic is one that is controlled by a user to wants to make everything so CHAOTIC that it's impossible to comprehend! things that are evil are different, though. Alicorn magic could be evil. it just depends on the user, really."

A dragon inside used a combination of sounds to speak in its language. "alright, alright. hey, can you speak dragon...or at least understand it?"

"i'll take that as a yes, then." (that dragon pretty much told you to come inside.)Draconis went through the gap in the hill.

The cave is lined with moss and vines. there are a few other tunnels leading to other caves, but that's it. the gem pile is in one of the other caves. Draconis growls something to a dragon, and it snorts back, a bit of smoke coming from its nostrils. "i told *low pitch growl* that i would only be able to stay for a bit. i have to check in on some ill lava dragons. feel free to come."

Draconis took another piece from the red diamond and gave it to the sick dragon. "ok, now we can go. just follow me." Draconis opened her wings, careful not to show the spines, and flew out of the cave to the volcano. when she landed, she created a small shadow, but that was it. the volcanoe was bubbling with bright lava streams, making everything light up.

"yeah...that's lava for you. at least you got one shadow to stand in. but...i have an idea." Draconis muttered a spell under her breath, and a darkened bubble formed around him. it caused anything inside it to be dropped in complete darkness, but could still see outside. "better?"

Draconis points to a small floating rock that seems to be about to melt; it is very red. then a small spot appears on the side. it has a black line through the middle. then the line moves until it is facing Draconis. that's not rock, that's a lava dragon! "over there. i mean, what lava dragon wouldn't be in lava?"

"lemme tell them to come up here." Draconis roared and growled something down to the lava dragons. a short high pitch growl was the response. then it disappeared under the lava. suddenly, about fifty dragons appeared at the edge of the lava, crawling up the crater.