Falling Inside The Black

by ladyanaconda

Falling into Darkness

“We live in a dark and romantic and quite tragic world.”

-Karl Lagerfeld

---

Skyfall made his way to Burning's cave. The other dragons had heard something going on inside, but some sort of black crystal prevented them from going in. He grew worried about his friend, he could be hurt, or worse. After Jielith left, he had decided to leave them alone to settle their differences, but he never thought it would escalate into a fight!

When he came to their cave, there were no crystals blocking the entrance like the other dragons had said. There were a few, small ones portending from the floor, but nothing more. The very air of the cave seemed to be infected with dread and fear, but most of all sorrow. Skyfall could heard sobbing coming from inside, but it was too dark for him to see anything. Gulping, Skyfall stepped into the cave, his footsteps echoing. The sobbing was growing louder as he came closer to the center of the cave, but then he felt something sticky on his feet.

Confused, Skyfall fired up a small flame to see what he had stepped on. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw a red blood liquid not only beneath his feet, but all across the cave, on the walls. However, what made him gag and gasp in horror was the sight of his friend, holding Jielith's corpse in his claws, his eyes all bloodstain from crying, staring at the bloody hole in the female dragon's chest. Skyfall realized his friend looked different now; his scales were sable black, for some reason he had grown hair, and his eyes were like those of a pony, only with slit pupils and red irises.

"Burning?!" Skyfall gasped, his heart at his throat.

The drake's sobbing stopped, and he quickly glanced up at his friend with hateful angry eyes filled with tears. "There you are…"

"What have you done?!" Skyfall stepped back when Burning lay Jielith's corpse on the ground and started approaching him. "H-How could you do this to Jielith?! You were her whole world!"

"Was I?" Burning inquired coldly. "Because from what I remember, she was very cozy with you in the Abyss."

SKyfall's pupils shrank in realization. "Nonono! You misunderstood what happened! We were only talking about you!"

"I can tell that. Sneering and mocking me for being so blind for so much time, right?!" Burning snarled, his signs unfurling.

"No! She was worried because she thought you didn't love her anymore, and so she came to me for counsel!"

"As if! You think I'm that stupid?!"

Skyfall tried to run out of the cave, but Burning's horns flashed green and purple, and his eyes turned the sickly green from before, with the purple flowing at the corners; With one flap of his wings, he made thick, long black crystals grow from the ground at the entrance of the cave in a faction of second, preventing Skyfall from escaping.

"We are not done talking!" Burning gnashed his teeth.

"Burning, listen to me!" Skyfall pleaded. "You're not right! Something has happened to you, you're not acting like yourself!"

"Oh, I'm acting like myself for the first time in years, my friend!" the former-red dragon sneered, approaching the terrified blue drake.

"No! Listen, we have to go see the Leader! I'm sure he knows a way to cure you!"

"Cure me?" Burning repeated uncredulously. "I'm not ill."

"You're not ill?! Look at yourself, but Ancestor's sake!" Skyfall motioned Burning to look at his own body. "You're scales are black, you have a hairy head, and your eyes! How can you tell me that's not a sickness?!"

"Because I'm not suffering, nor is this damaging my body. It made me strong."

Burning Moonlight was dangerously close to his former friend, inciting Skyfall to fire a long stream of blue fire at him to prevent him from getting any closer. But more black crystals grew from the ground at an alarming speed, protecting their master from the fire, before retreating back into the ground to allow him to continue. Burning snapped his fingers, and thick tendrils of black energy emerged from the darkness, wrapping around SKyfall's legs, tail, wings and tail, keeping him from moving.

"Burning, what-?!" SKyfall frantically looked around at the tendrils that imprisoned him. "What are you doing?!"

"You should be grateful." Burning simply said. "I could kill you if I wanted for betraying him, but I think I'd rather share this power with you."

"What?! I don't want it! I just want you to calm down and let me to!"

"Come on, dear friend!" Burning snickered. "You will enjoy this! You'll be more powerful!"

"At what price?!" Skyfall shrieked in terror. "Look what that power has done to you!"

"You're right. It made me stronger, faster, not even the Leader could stand up to me now!"

"Forget about that! Haven't you seen yourself in a mirror?! You've become a monster!"

Burning said nothing for a while. "…Maybe you're right." SKyfall felt a great pang of relief, but it evaporated when an insane grin grew on Burning's scaly black lips. "But… you would be practically calling yourself a monster as well, my friend. I will show you this…"n his eyes turned green once more. "Whether you like it nor not."

The purple smoke flowing from his eyes slithered through the air like snakes into Skyfall's terrified eyes. Soon, his blue scales were engulfed by a crow black, prench blue hair grew from his head like grass grew on the ground, and his yellow eyes slowly turned sickly green; only a single circle of golden remained around his slit pupil. A loud roar echoed in a ll the caverns, calling the attention of the Leader and all the warriors of the clan.

Skyfall was released from the dark tendrils, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. There was no sign of protest as the dragon stood up, and looked at his new, dark-scaled from. As he felt the dark power source through his veins like his own blood, he smiled.

"You know what, Burning? You were right. This energy does make you stronger than before."

Before Burning could reply, he heard something outside of the lair. It seemed like the rest of the clan had caught up to him. "Skyfall, looks like we have company."

Skyfall sneered. "Then let's give them a warm welcome."

Burning Moonlight's horns flashed in dark magic, and the crystals disappeared from sight. Ten drakes were standing outside the cave, Swiftwing among them. "What is happening?!" he roared, but the two black dragons did not flinch like they used to. Swiftwing blew a great column of fire in the cave, and realized what had happened upon seeing Jielith's bloody corpse on the ground and the new looks of the two dragons. The rest of the drakes outside gasped in horror, before setting their eyes on Burning and Skyfall.

"What have you done?!" Swiftwing nearly screamed. "And why do you look like that?!"

"Are you blind?" Burning retorted disrespectfully, his tail twitching. "That cheating bitch is dead, and I have grown stronger."

Swiftwing couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Have you grown insane?!" He pointed at Jielith's body. "You call killing your own mate growing stronger! And tampering with forces you know we dragons are forbidden from even touching?!"

This time it was Skyfall who spoke, upon noticing the looks of awe of some of the dragons outside. "This power can be shared, if you wish so. Imagine it, the first dragons to use dark magic. We would be equals to the Unicorns, if not superior!"

Swiftwing realized some of his warriors showed interest in the dark power. "Do not heed his words! They have been poisoned by the same dark forces the same Unicorns fear and drear! Kill them at once, put them out of their misery!"

Neither Burning nor Skyfall showed any fear as the drakes outside lunged at them with unsheathed claws and teeth. With a snap of his claws, the same black tendrils from before came out of the darkness and held all of them down. The drakes roared as they tried to get free, but they had not the power to repel dark magic. Swiftwing realized what he intended to do.

"Ten against two? That's not nice on your part, Swiftwing, and here I thought you liked to do things the honorable way."

Swiftwing snarled. "Do you know what you're asking?"

"I challenge you to an Agnikai!"

An Agnikai was known among all dragon clans in Equestria as some sort of duel for the leadership of the clan. It was between the current leader of the clan, and a the young male who wished to take his place. It consisted of a single charge, and each opponent only had one chance to either subdue or kill his opponent; the winner would be the new leader of the clan.

Swiftwing nodded gravely. "Very well then."

The mint-scaled dragon flared his nostrils and unfurled his wings, preparing to charge. The rest of the drakes were staring intently, wishing to see how this turned out. Burning Moonlight, however, remained sitting on the ground, waiting like he had an ace under the sleeve.

Swiftwing charged at the black dragon, letting out a piercing roar and flapping his wings to gain speed. Burning Moonlight's face remained unchanged, until a murderous grin drew on his face when Swiftwing was about to slash his neck.

Swiftwing gasped and coughed blood as dark crystals emerged beneath him, piercing through his thick scales and slicing through his flesh, impaling him. The pinned-down drakes watched in horror as their leader's life slowly and painfully ebbed away. As his eyelids became heavy, and his vision blackened, he saw Burning Moonlight approaching him with a sickening grin. He felt his blood leaving his body, his heart stopping its beating, and all air leave his lungs as the black dragon whispered into his ear.

"The winner takes everything."

The rest of the dragons watched in horror as their formerleader passed away. Their panic started when Burning Moonlight turned to look at them with a nearly-insane grin. "Now, where were we?"

The tendrils holding down the rest of the drakes suddenly slithered through their nostrils and mouths like snakes into a hole. Screams of agony echoed through the caverns, multiplied tenfold by the screams of hatchlings who could hear everything from their nests and looked for shelter in their parents' wings. Scales turned black, hair grew like grass, and eyes changed to resembled pony eyes, with sickly green schleri, and purple smoke. Both Burning and Skyfall watched amusingly like sadists, as the drakes arose. The color of their hair was varied, as well as the color of their eyes, but they all had one thing in common.

They had been corrupted. They heard the voice of Darkness inside their minds, and accepted it. Burning nodded approvingly when the dragons approached and bowed before him, recognizing him as the winner of the Agnikai, therefore their new Leader. One of the older drakes, whose hair and underbelly were aqua green, was the first to speak.

"What would you like us to do, leader?"

A slick smile appeared on his muzzle. "We have work to do."

---

All the other dragons in the clan, those who had not been yet corrupted, were led to the Main Cave, all herded like sheep and cattle, hatchlings included. They were terrified to see some of their friends had been turned into black-scaled beasts, but could do nothing as they were grouped in the Main Cave. The whole clan was there, minus the eggs in the nursery. It was all inky black, without illumination, like they had prepared something. Hatchlings whimpered and tried to hide behind their mothers and fathers. No one knew who that creature was, but no one dared ask, either. They looked around for their black-scaled brethren nervously, as if they had been infected by some sort of deadly disease.

"You must be wondering why we've brought you here, am I right?" The voice that first spoke was eerily familiar. "We have an announcement to make."

Kevalth's eyes went open like plates. He knew that voice...

"Skyfall?" His voice was trembling. "Are you the one behind this?" Gasps of shock from the uninflected dragons followed.

"Me?" Skyfall sneezed from the darkness. "No."

"Where's the leader?!" A yellow scaled drake snapped. "When he comes back you're going to-!"

Another voice spoke grimly. "I'm right over here." But the dragons didn't let out any sighs of relief, because they realized that was not Swiftwing's voice. Kevalth's heart nearly pumped out of his chest. That voice was very familiar too. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the piled of wood around the cave lit up unexpectedly, but not with the warm, orange fire dragons knew so well, but a cold green fire that sent shivers down their spines.

There he was. Burning Moonlight, in all his dark 'splendor', sitting on the throne-like rock on the end of the cave, a place that was meant for the Leader. Not few gasped upon seeing his new appearance, his dark scales, his purple hair, but overall his eyes. Those eyes, once full of nobility and friendliness, were now full of cruelty and a coldness that would freeze a Quimera in fear.

"Burning?!" Dreadstalker snapped in disbelief. "You are behind this?!"

The black drake chuckled darkly. "Surprise, surprise." He chirped with sarcasm.

"So this is why you were behaving so strangely!" Kevalth snarled. "You permitted darkness to poison and taint your mind! And now, look at yourself!" He pointed at Skyfall and the other corrupted drakes. "Worse still! You dragged other innocent drakes into your ploy!"

"My, my, I see you are still sore about our exchange of words a few days ago." Burning shook his head. "Have you never heard of forgive and forget?"

"This is not about that, Burning! What have you done with the Leader?!"

"You mean Swiftwing?" Upon mentioning his name, Skyfall and the darkened dragons laughed grimly. "Let's say I took care of him." Burning motioned to Skyfall, and the dragon threw something to the center of the cave, where all he dragons could see it. Hatchlings started to cry, dradies screamed, and drakes tried to keep from fainting or gasping for the sake of their families.

For Skyfall had thrown Swiftwing's decapitated head.

His eyes were still open like plates, a look of utter horror upon his face. His tongue was hanging from the corner of his mouth, his teeth dripping with red blood. The bone of his neck protruded from his scruff, all bloody; the blood had spilled overdone of the enable dragons, nearly driving some dradies and hatchlings to a heart attack. Both Dreadstalker and Kevalth shot hateful and piercing glares at the black dragon.

"You murderer!"

Burning Moonlight raised an eyebrow. "Murderer, you say? It was an Agnikai. I won. You know what that means."

"I will never serve you!" Dreadstalker snarled.

"I'm not asking you." Burning Moonlight narrowed his eyes. His tone grew dangerously hostile. "Either we do this the good way-"

Obsidian crystals grew in a fraction of seconds automatically, protecting him from the fire stream shot at him by both Kevalth and Dreadstalker simultaneously, making the present dragons gasp. When the fire extinguished, the crystals receded, revealing their master unscratched, but with a murderous look. The black dragons were about to go and finish Dradstalker and Kevalth's lives, but Burning lifted a wing to stop them.

"On second thoughts, I'd rather have the bad way."

With a snap of his finger and a flash of dark aura, black tendrils immobilized the dragons who had not yet been infected, starting with Kevalth and Dreadstalker. Hatchlings cried as they were torn from the arms of their desperate mothers, and drakes tried in vain to get free of this tentacle-like tendrils. "What sorcery is this?!" Dreadstalker screamed, glaring at both Skyfall and Burning Moonlight. "What are you doing?!"

"You started it." Burning stated defensively. "Give thanks that at least I'm letting you live." He could smell fear. The whole cave stunk of terror, including Dreadstalker, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"What are you going to do, Burning?!" Kevalth yelled.

"What he did with us." The dragon with aqua green hair said. "He will assimilate you into the Darkness."

Kevalth couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?!" His glare turned to his former friend. "Would you be as heartless as to turn all these innocent into monsters like you?! Dradies? Hatchlings?!"

"What else, dear Kevalth?" Burning shrugged. "Let them all go? I need strong warriors, but I don't have the time nor the patience to be asking around if anyone wants to." Before Kevalth could retort. Another tendril of black energy closed his muzzle shut. "Please. Stop talking! The sooner we go on with this, the faster it'll be over."

That night, was known as the Night of the Screaming,

The yells, screams and begs for mercy were muffled out when the dark magic forcibly entered the bodies of all the present dragons. Dreadstalker closed his eyes and mouth to try and keep the energy out, but then it targeted his nostrils and ears. All the possible colors in the cave darkened, all turning black like the night sky outside, multicolored hair grew on different heads. Not even hatchlings were spared, but the dark energy seemed to be less forcible with them than with the adults. Burning Moonlight watched amusingly as this massacre occurred, but the other already converted drakes were not so heartless. Even Skyfall forced himself to close his eyes and look away.

When it was all over, the newly-transformed lost consciousness. Even Kevalth and Dreadstalker, their purple and deep green scales respectively turned Raven black, could not keep themselves awake for long. When he was certain they were all unconscious, Burning Moonlight turned to Kevalth.

"Are all the eggs in the nursery?" He inquired, his whole demeanor changing into a more gentle approach.

Skyfall nodded. "Every single one."

"Follow me."

---

The nursery was not as large as the Main Cave, only big enough to house about six large nests, and upon those nests were laid dozens of eggs, belonging to the mated pairs. The eggs varied in size and color, from red to blue, from large to small. He swore could feel their little heartbeats from within the shells. Sure, the eggs also varied in which stage of development the embryo was, but all could sense what was going on in the outside world.

"What are we going to do?" Skyfall inquired. "You're going to convert them too, aren't you?"

"Not like their parents." Burning replied, placing a clawed paw on one of the nearby eggs. "These are unborn. I wouldn't want to traumatize them before they even come into the world."

"Then how will you do it?"

Before he could ask anything else, Burning's horns glowed green gingerly, and the same purple mist from before flew into the air and divided into dozens of purple tendrils, each going into one egg, going through the solid thick shell.

"That should do it." Burning spoke up, his eyes turning back to normal. "When they hatch, they will be like us."

With these last words, the two drakes walked silently out of the nursery, leaving the little ones to continue their slumber.