The Fall Of Innocence

   Of Things That Crawl And Creep In The Dark

           "...When confronted by un-calculable odds, add tactics to the equation...."

            - Alphidesh, Siege of Eskrimilee

The day was bright, clear, and all together very happy. The mood was more or less strained. The three Alicorns had gotten up around late morning, and had immediately stretched their tired bodies, readying for flight once more. Their course took them away from the river they had followed with so much hope the day before, and towards the gloomy mountains off in the distance.

"It has to be twenty leagues until we get anywhere near those mountains!" Luna had said this as they flew over a wide-ranging forest.

"I know, but we don't have any other leads!" Celestia had to shout above the wind to be heard. "This is all we have got at the moment!" Atla looked in the direction of the river they had left this morning. His doubts had doubled, but he wasn't one to share these sort of feelings with his sisters.

"It isn't that far! We used to fly way farther than this back in Faerlahern!" His optimistic words renewed their determination. "And anyway, I'm sure that if there is life in those caves, it won't move for a long while. It has gotten colder since we arrived! The breath of winter is almost here!" He hadn't realized how much that had reversed his previous words effect until he saw Luna, breathing heavily and exhausted. His attitude once again lifted another from doubt. "But this day is so beautiful! I haven't seen a more perfect day than this since I was a young Alicorn running around the castle!" The mention of their home seemed to help lessen the effort in the tired wings of his sister. He sighed a breath of relief, glad that he knew his sister so well.

Their course was direct, and it wasn't long until they had reached a valley six leagues away from the nearest peak.

Luna landed first, none too gently, and looked about her. Not only was this a broad valley, it was filled with trees. She identified several large oaks before Celestia landed next to her.

Celestia was breathing heavily in exhaustion. "This--this is pretty." Celestia said as she gazed about her, admiring the scenery. Then Atla landed lightly a few feet behind them. They turned at the noise, and he was surprised to see their faces in a trance-like state. He stumbled back a bit in alarm.

"Isn't this place just serene?" Luna's voice sounded odd to Atla. And he just realized how unnaturally quiet this valley had suddenly become. As if it were holding it's breath, waiting for something to happen. "This place is--" She cringed for a half-second, then she went back to normal seamlessly. Atla saw something in Luna's eyes he was horrified to see. They had a hungry look about them. "--is like we're in a dream!" If only it were so.

Atla then takes a look at Celestia, wanting to check her eyes as well, but she had her back to him turning her head this way and that at a slow pace. He knew what this was. It was a Hypnosis spell. But who was casting it? They had to be powerful if they were affecting Celestia and Luna so.

"Celestia--let's finish our mission. Let us go to those caves up there!" He said this to try and snap her out of it. It was a failure. It seemed that in their more tired state, they were more succeptible to influence than normal. Atla cursed under his breath. He had to find the source of this, then he could disrupt it's connection. His horn started to faintly glow light blue as he focused his thoughts there in an effort to catch a trace of this Hypnosis spell. "It's a good thing father thought it best for me to be in the army," Atla thought ironically. Unas-lahn, Atla's father, had had him trained extensively for a defensive role in the army, protecting the Legionarres from magical harm. He didn't get anything. Until he carried his blanket of searching towards the mountains. He caught a spike of power coming from one of the caves, and he stamped his hooves in excitement.

Celestia and Luna looked far from wanting to accompany him, and so it proved when he asked for their assistance. They had stated that they'd rather stay here, in this "mesmerizing region," and so he left them there, muttering bitterly under his breath.

He didn't have much longer to go to reach the caves as he had thought. This helped bolster his resolve as he trudged up the rocky slope to the cave that he perceived to be the origins of his distress. A rush of foul air met his nostrils as he reached the cave opening. His eyes watering, Atla performed an Illumination spell and plunged into the mouth of the cave.

The stench had only strengthened as Atla pushed farther into the hole. He had to bow his head down because of the stalactites dotting the ceiling. In the tunnel, it was pitch-black dark. There wasn't any light except that coming from Atla's horn. And even that was second to useless, only providing enough light in the twisty cave system to see several yards ahead of himself. His muscles tensed whenever he reached a bend in the tunnel, preparing for the worst. The atmosphere in there was altogether very eerie. He could've sworn he heard whisperings behind him and above him, but whenever he shined the light on the areas of suspicion, they suddenly hushed. He didn't like it in there, not one bit. But Atla had to keep going, he couldn't stop. He had to save his sisters.

The walls seemed to be moving! Like they were quivering. Atla shook his head vigorously, thinking the smell was making him light-headed. Everything began to swim, and he realized somepony was tampering with his mind. He quickly formed a protective spell, and let it explode out of the end of his horn, light falling around him. He regained his balance and felt the tamperings slowly cease. Whew! He wiped the sweat gathering on his deep blue mane off, and continued forward.

The time he was in the cave seemed like eons of monotonous labor, every stalactite and stalagmite looked exactly the same in the claustrophobic space. But he wasn't walking in circles for the cave only led him in a single direction. And when the end of the windy cave system came into view he yelled some words about thanking Halmir.

Or he would have, had he not seen something that caused the words in his throat to catch. He instantly stepped back four paces, extinguished his light, and he slinked behind a large stalagmite. His breathing became fast as he said a prayer to his ancestors. What he had seen around the corner had been some Dreconi. Dreconi were a race of semi-Unicorn creatures that the Alicorn Legion had fought for thirty years on the island of Shalfallaheln, the only known place on the planet to contain pure, natural Mitheril. Dreconi were large creatures, their bodies similar to Unicorns. But they had scales on their torsos, without a covering anywhere else. On their backs were enlarged scales, like ridges. And though they have manes and tails when they're younger, they quickly fall out, leaving them bald. If these Dreconi had been older they might have been wearing armor on their legs and their body, but fortunately they had been but youths.They were intellegent enough when they aged, for they knew how to perform a few incantations and operate a forge. But they lacked purity, for they were rumored to be Unicorns who were corrupted by a dark chaotic magic in the beginning ages of time. They did not have a constant color, but most were either a ruddy brown or a deep crimson. Their eyes were balls of fire, showing their pure hatred for everything else living. And they had long jagged fangs used for devouring anypony to have enough misfortune to come across them. But the one thing they hated more than Alicorns was the sun, their only naturally found fatal flaw. For in the sun their magic becomes completely useless, the sun's ultra-violet rays blocking their heartless spells. Dreconi blood is very hot, and when their skin is in contact with alien heat, it boils. That is why you would find them in the Mitheril-filled mines of Shalfallaheln, brooding in the darkness. And that is why Atla had found them here, in this cave huddled about a small, limp body. They were feasting on recent prey.

Atla gave a deep shuddering breath, and he began to prepare an Incineration spell. Fire. In the war over Shalfallaheln, the Alicorn armies used spells of Incineration and developed fire bombs to be used when the Dreconi tried to advance upon Legion positions during the night.

He hoped it would strike true, for he would not have another shot if he missed. He took another deep breath in a relevant attempt to calm himself, and moved out from behind the stalagmite. He would've crumpled to the floor on the spot had he not braced himself against the stalagmite. He bent his head down, aimed as best as he could, and loosed the spell at the horde of Dreconi. A raging inferno consumed the Dreconi. The Dreconi screeched in pain, blisters popping up where their raw skin was exposed, blood vaporizing. Atla's ears almost seemed to explode as the Dreconi burned. He covered his ears with his legs trying desperately to drown out the intense, high pitched wailing from the dying Dreconi. Their bodies were blackened, and steam was issuing from their faces. The horrible stench only increased, forcing Atla to perform a Filtration spell so he wouldn't pass out. He was completely spent.

He moves over to the destruction he had brought upon the corrupted Unicorns. There wasn't much that he could discern from their corpses. He grimaced at the irony, for his spell had been strong enough to kill them, but it was so powerful to leave him without any leads. He cursed the future of the Dreconi, for he had wanted something to help him discover how ancient enemies of Alicorns had gotten here in Equestria. The only thing recongnizable in the refuse of bodies was a single red leg that had scorch marks up it's length. He turned and retched, the sight was sickening. Atla turned back as a nasty thought crept into his head. We now know what happened to that pony Celestia had sensed earlier. Atla found his way out of the cave, a most impressive feat for him in his current condition.

As the sun burned onto Atla's eyes, he caught sight of Luna and Celestia some distance away. They were in a heap upon the grass. Atla flew over to them in a worried rush, fearing the worse. As he reached them, he saw that they were still breathing. He let out a long, heavy sigh of gratitude. He believed that the hex the Dreconi had weaved around this area was designed to lead prey into the cave, straight into their gaping jaws. But since Luna and Celestia were Alicorns, and these Dreconi were fairly young, it had only managed to confuse then subdue them. It was directly a good thing for Atla as well, that they were young. Older Dreconi would have resisted his Incineration spell with ease, and he would have ended up as a nice desert.

Atla roused the two sisters, who woke with much difficulty. They just stared at his sweat-drenched face. Atla breathed deeply, and exhaled, satisfied. Then he toppled onto the warm grass half-awake. He panted,"Promise me you two won't let your guard down again, will you?" and passed out before they could promise anything.