The dark brother of the bright student

Twilight looked at him confused. "Malonex? This name sounds ancient."

Fallen nodded. "The name is from a long time ago and name is from a long time ago.. As I said my father was over thousand years old."

Twilight didn't really knew what to say and just asked."So you really are an half shadow pony?"

"Yes and I have to ask you to keep that a secret, not even the other princesses know this secret." Fallen looked at her dead serious.

Twilight slowly nodded. "Yes I promise." Then Twilight got an idea. "Can I ask you some questions about you and your kind? There are no information about your kind except the things we know about king Sombra."

This was what Fallen had expected from her. "And what are these questions?"

In less than one second Twilight levitated a few pieces of paper and a quill to herself. "First, have you any clue how old you will become and how long does your kind live normally?"

"I have made a test with my blood and I don't know how long I will live exactly but after testing a bit with my blood, I can say that I will probably live something around thousand years. I can't say how long does your kind normally live, I only know how long my father lived and how long I will maybe live."

Twilight made a few notes and looked back at him. "Does your kind eat meat and if the answer is yes, do you eat meat too?"

He knew how she came to that conclusion. "Yes I can eat meat, I have these fangs not without a reason, but since it isn't allowed to eat meat in Equestria I don't eat it very often."

"How long can you and your kind live without food?"

"I can live without food for five months or more. But I will become weaker over time. The same is for every shadow pony." He waited for her to write everything down. "I hope these were all your questions for now because I have to meditate. You have to wait if you have more questions."

He stood up took the book and attempt to go away as he heard Twilight. "Sure, Malonex."

He stopped for a moment. 'I hope you mean it as you say it.' And with that he walked to the laboratory to put the book back to its spot. After that he walked to his room and closed the door.

He sat on the ground in front of the dark fire and began to meditate.

While he meditated he heard a voice in his head. "You know that she fears your name Malonex..."

He nodded and with that thought his mind filled itself with hate. He spent the rest of the day in his room. He didn't went to the dinner and went to bed at night.

In the middle of the night, as everypony was asleep, a gray unicorn made his way to the castle. Hiding his brown mane and green eyes under a black hood, he sneaked around the castle and searched for a way inside. He walked around it till he saw that the window to the kitchen was open.

He climbed inside without making any noises and used a spell to see magic auras. "Where is this pony?"

After some time he found Fallens dark aura. As he saw the aura he stopped the spell and used a night vision spell. He began to searched for a way to Fallens room. He walked through the hallways of the castle without making any noises.

A few minutes later he reached to door to Fallens room. He scanned the door for any security spell and indeed found one that was placed on the doorway. He looked at the enchantment of the door for sometime before he smiled. "That should be easy."

He used his magic to deactivate the spell and opened the door. He sneaked inside the room and looked around. He saw Fallen in his bed and began to look around for the item he searched for. 'Where is it. He told me that he probably keeps it somewhere near him.'

He looked around for a few more seconds till he noticed the dark flame. He looked at the flame and tired to figure a way out to deactivate it. After he couldn't find a way he opened his bag and took a magic immune glove out of it.

He put it on his hoof and reached in the fire. As he reached in he could feel that the protection wouldn't resist the fire very long so he hurried up a bit.

He could feel that there was something in the fire. He grabbed it and took it out. It was a small black box. 'Bingo!'

He put the box in the bag and began to sneak out of the room. On his way he tried to walk as fast as he could without making noises but he didn't noticed that the glove was still burning with dark fire.

He walked through the castle back to the window he used to enter but a moment before he could leave the castle he felt the fire nearly reaching him and screamed. "AH!"

As fast as he could he threw the glove away and held a hoof on his mouth.

Fallen heard the scream and stood up immediately. He ran to the flame and reached into is with his crystal hoof. As he realized that the box was missing he turned into a black cloud and flew through the castle.

The thief knew that it was time to run and jumped out of the window and began to ran away not caring anymore if somepony heard him.

While Fallen rushed through the castle he used a spell to see magic auras and saw the aura of the thief outside. He flew through the first window he saw and began to chase the thief.

The thief looked behind him and saw the big black cloud following him and coming closer. He tried to run faster but the cloud kept coming closer.

As the thief realized that he couldn't escape he closed his eyes and turned around. He began to shoot beams at his pursuer.

As he opened his eyes he saw that his pursuer was gone. He sighed in relive and turned around where he saw Fallen standing in his normal form, eyes glowing with dark magic. "Big mistake."

The thief saw a beam directly flying in his direction. He was hit and fell to the ground. He couldn't move more than his head and saw a shadow coming closed to him.

As he looked up he saw Fallen standing above him lifting is hoof over the head of the thief. The hoof stomped down on him and all went black for him.

Fallen carried the thief and his bag to his laboratory and closed the door. Fallen opened the bag and took the box out of it and place it on one of the worktables.

Then he used a spell to make the walls soundproofed. He created a crystal table in the middle of the room and laid his prisoner on it. He also created crystals to tie his hooves and to block his horn.

He sat down and waited for the thief to wake up, he wanted to know more details. After a few hours he head a groan form is prisoner.

"Where am I?"

"You are in my laboratory. Now you tell me who you are?"

The thief noticed that he was completely tied up. He tired to move but it didn't help. He only got hit in his side by Fallen. "Stop moving!" The thief stopped and groaned in pain. "Now answer my question."

"I am known as the master thief."

Fallen rolled his eyes about that nickname and hit him in the side again this time with the crystal hoof. He could hear some ribs breaking. "I didn't asked for your silly nickname I want your real name!"

The thief screamed in pain. "My name is Lock Changer!"

"You tell the truth or else!" He hit him again and again a few more ribs broke."Who told you about the box?"

Lock was in pain but tired to answer. "My client!"

Fallen began to lose his patience."Who is your client?"

"I will not tell."

Fallen raised an eyebrow. "Why? Look at the situation he put you in."

Lock hesitated for a moment but decided to talk. "Because he said he would get me and my family in prison if I tell somepony the name he told me."

"The prison should be the least of your worries now!"

Lock stayed silence.

"Fine. Try to resist but I will get the information." He began to walk around Lock Changer. "It is a long time since I last tortured somepony, I have to warn you, I am a little out of practice." Fallen lowered the crystal table that Lock was now lying on the ground.

Fallen used a spell to grab Locks right front leg. He slowly began to bend the leg and soon it began to crack.

Lock Changer began to scream. "I will not talk. My family is more important."

Fallen just smiled at this confidence. "We will see."

Fallen walked to one of the worktables and looked a bit over it. After a short time he found what he searched for.

He walked back to Lock with a long red crystal spike in his hoof. "It is a long time since I used this." He lifted it over the broken leg and them impaled it inside of it. Lock screamed as the crystal dug itself in his leg.

The crystal let Lock only breath for a second before its real effect activated. Red black lightning began to spread from the crystal all over Lock. Everywhere where the dark lightning struck was nothing left but pain.

After a few minutes in sheer pain Fallen decided that this was enough and turned his hoof into a blade. He cut the leg off with a quick chop and thus cutting Lock from the red crystal. Then he used a spell to stop the stump from bleeding by covering the wound with dark crystals.

The crystal bandage stopped the bleeding and Fallen looked at Lock. "Tell me who your client is!"

Lock caught before he could answer. "No. You can do whatever you want but I will keep my family save and I bet you already used your biggest trick."

"This was just one of many trick I have." He used a spell to let small spikes grow out of the crystal bandage, piercing into the stump. Fallen also created spikes beneath Lock that pierced into his back and stayed there.

Fallen smiled at the tormented expression of Lock. "Are you going to talk now?"

Lock tired to talk but the pain made it hard to form words. "N-never..."

Fallen lifted his crystal hoof and used a spell to put it on dark fire. He slowly move his hoof closer to Locks face and touched his right eye. Locks fur and eye began to burn and he screamed in pain. The eye burned to ash and Fallen used his magic to contain the fire on Locks face on the right side. After the fire burned the fur and a big part of his skin away Fallen turned the fire off.

Fallen covered the right half of Locks face with dark crystals to keep him from dying, it also covered his missing eye.

Fallen looked down at Lock and smiled. "Will you talk now?"

"N-no..."

Fallen was about to put his crystal hoof on fire again as he got a better idea.

He decided to use a different technique. He looked Lock directly in the eye and made sure that Lock couldn't look away. Lock saw that Fallens eyes began to glow. The light blinded him and then his vision was black and after a few seconds he was unconscious.

As he woke up again he first didn't recognized where he was. He looked around and saw picture of him his wife and his little daughter. He was in his house and was lying in his bed.

He left the bed and looked around again. 'It was just a horrible nightmare.'

He walked to the door to search for his wife. As he walked through the house he saw that some pictures were dropped on the four. He walked to the dining room and saw that the table was flipped and the chairs were lying everywhere in the room. 'Oh no.'

He began to ran through the house to search for his family. He ran through every room and saw that everything was destroyed. In the end only one room was left. He walked to the kitchen and slowly opened the door.

As the door was open his eyes widen in horror. He saw his wife and his little daughter on the ground. They were both impaled by an big dark crystal. The complete ground was covered in their blood.

Lock sunk to the ground and began to cry. "This is just a nightmare. This is just a nightmare. This is just a nightmare!"

Black smoke began to spread in the room and Lock heard Fallen laughing. "This isn't a nightmare, this is the future if you don't do what I say."

Lock looked at Fallen with an now angry expression. "Liar! You can't harm them without getting busted."

The smoke began to gather in the middle of the kitchen right beside the dead ponies. "You think I am not in the position to do something like that? I can kill them and make everypony believe that a idiot who tired dark magic but couldn't control it killed them, I can even make everpony believe that it was you how did this! If you don't cooperate, you will wish that this is how things went. I could also torture them for hours and make sure that no pony can recognize the corpses."

Lock Changer let his head hang. "I give up."

Fallen smiled and the whole scenario vanished. Lock was bound to the ground of Fallens laboratory again.

Fallen walked to Lock and looked in his eyes. "I will use a spell to take over your mind. You will feel me invading your mind, don't defend yourself against me or I will kill your family."

Lock just said a quiet. "Yes."

So Fallen began to invade Locks mind and after a short time Lock was completely under his control.

Fallen let the crystal shackles disappear and created a crystal leg for him, that couldn't change shape. The spikes in Locks back disappeared and Fallen took some bandages he had in his laboratory for emergencies to stop the wounds from bleeding.

Lock stood up and looked at Fallen emotionless. Fallen smiled and asked again. "Who is your client?"

"He didn't told me his full name just his nickname."

"Just a nickname and he still threatened him. Probably somepony who is worried about his reputation. What is his nickname?"

"He called himself the Blue Prince."

Fallen groaned loud as he heard this bad nickname. 'I should have expected this. Who else but Blueblood would be so dumb to sent a thief to me. Since I am finished with this thief it is time to change his memories.'

He invaded Locks mind again and began to change his memories. After he was finished he waited till Lock could talk again.

Lock looked confused around. "Where am I?"

Fallen walked to him and petted his shoulder. "Stay calm. I am Fallen Dark and you are in my laboratory. You were brainwashed by Blueblood as he talked to you. Do you remember?"

Lock nodded slowly. "Yes I remember. A pony named the Blue Prince wanted to talk with me in privet and then everything is black."

"He brainwashed you to make you steal something from me. After you stole the item you where attacked by some creatures of the near forest. I saw you getting attacked the creatures and scared them away but as you can see they already burned the right half of your face and your leg. I could replace the leg but for your face I couldn't do more than just covering the damaged part. I also had to remove your right eye."

Lock slowly moved his now crystal hoof and touched the crystal half of his face. "I have to thank you. Without you I would be dead right now. Is there a way how I can thank you?"

Fallen smiled and indicated Lock to follow him. "There is a way. We will get the pony that tried to steal form me and that brainwashed you."

He took Locks bag and walked out of his laboratory. Lock followed him. On their way Fallen quickly looked out of one of the windows. The sun was already rising.

As they walked through the hallway of the castle Spike woke up and left his room. "Fallen what are you doing so early? And who is that pony?"

Fallen didn't stopped and just harshly replied. "I will explain at lunch! Tell the others that I am in Canterlot."

Fallen didn't stopped walking for a second and Lock followed him. They left the castle and Fallen walked to his carriage.

"Get on there, Lock!"

Lock nodded and stepped on one of the seats of the carriage. Fallen quickly summoned two shadows to pull the carriage and stepped on it himself.

The shadows pulled the carriage with an high speed and they reached Canterlot after only one hour.

They landed in front of a big villa and Fallen got of the carriage. "Lock wait in the carriage and look out if anypony comes near."

Lock Changer nodded and Fallen walked to the door and knocked.

After a short while a butler opened the door. "How can I help you sir?"

Fallen tired to sound as calm as possible. "Is Blueblood here?"

"The prince is at the moment not here."

"Where is Blueblood?"

"I am sorry sir but I am not allowed to give you this information."

Fallen gave the butler an annoyed look. "I am the dark high mage he wanted to talk to so often. If you don't give me this information you can tell him that you destroyed his chance to learn anything about dark magic."

"Oh you are the high mage he talked the whole day after the gala. After what I heard I didn't expect that you would change your mind."

The butler really began to test his patience. "But I did. Now where is he?"

"He is at breakfast with the princesses at the castle."

'Perfect.' Fallen turned around and began to walk to his carriage. "Tell Blueblood that you where the one who sent me to him."

The butler bowed. "I surely will, sir high mage."

Fallen stepped on the carriage and they flew to the castle.

At the castle he got down from the carriage and talked to Lock. "Follow me. We are going to meet the princess. Don't forget to bow and leave the talking to me."

Lock nodded and Fallen took the high mage emblem form the carriage. It was still early in the morning. They walked to the doors of the castle and Fallen showed the guards the emblem.

They opened the door and Fallen and Lock entered the castle.

Fallen walked straight to the dining room while Lock followed him slowly. Lock stared at the beauty of the castle that he never entered before.

After a short walk Fallen arrived in front of the doors to the dining hall. Lock got left behind but Fallen was sure he would catch up soon.

Fallen opened the doors and could see that Blueblood was there eating and talking with the princesses.

The princesses seemed to be very annoyed and looked up as they heard the doors open, they seemed almost relived.

Blueblood on the other side was very surprised as he saw Fallen walking towards him that an angry expression. "Blueblood. Didn't I told you already what would happen if you ever ask me again? And now you brainwash a pony and sent him to steal the box?" Fallen didn't even tired to control his anger.

Blueblood didn't know what to say and looked at the princesses searching for help. Celestia and Luna only looked at Blueblood. Celestia was the first who said anything. "Blueblood, what is he talking about?"

"I-I don't know. I haven't d-done anything he said."

Fallen stepped even closer to Blueblood and looked directly in his eyes. "Don't try to lie your way out. I even bought the thief."

In this moment Lock Changer entered the room and bowed before the princesses. "My name is Lock Changer your majesties. I was brainwashed by prince Blueblood to steal an item from Fallen Dark."

Celestia looked angry at Blueblood. "Is that true Blueblood?"

"N-no. I would never do something like that."

Fallen took the bag from his back and placed it in front of the princesses. "He is lying. I used a spell to see the magic in the back and I found remains of a magical aura. That means somepony must have levitated it. I bet if we compare the remains of the aura on the bag with Bluebloods aura we will find out what the truth is."

Blueblood began to sweat as he became nervous. "I can explain! I... fine I met with him to give him the task to steal the item from Fallen but I didn't brainwashed him!"

Fallen stepped closer to Blueblood again and looked into his eyes. "Yes because a normal pony would always dare with his free will to steal form a high mage."

Blueblood began to panic. "That is a lie! He did it because I threaten him that I would imprison his family if he didn't do what I say." Only a few seconds later Blueblood realized what he just said.Fallen smiled for a short time and calmed down a bit.

He turned to the princesses again. "Now he starts talking the truth. As I found Lock he was attacked by some creatures, that is why he looks like that. After I sacred the creatures away I deactivated the brainwash-spell. While I was in Lock mind I found a memory that showed me the attempted to threaten Lock, I also saw that Lock still refused to do the job and got brainwashed. Sadly I couldn't rescue this memory and it got lost with the brainwash-spell."

Now Luna lost her patience. "Blueblood I heard enough! Guards take Blueblood in prison. We will later decide what will happen with him."

Some guards entered the room and grabbed the now in panic screaming Blueblood. They dragged him out of the room and Fallen smiled as he watched everything.

As the doors closed again Luna turned to Fallen. "I am impressed Fallen."

Celestia now spoke up too. "And I have to apologize to you both . I should have known that Blueblood wouldn't give up that easily, I just didn't thought he would go that far."

Fallen simply nodded and Lock tired his best to smile. "It isn't so bed. If it wasn't for Fallen I would be dead now. I just hope my wife and my daughter aren't scared by my new appearance." He again stared at his new hoof for a short time.

"Maybe a heal mage can help you."

Lock lifted his head with hope in his eyes but Fallen stopped them. "That isn't possible. The wounds were made by magical creatures. They can't be healed not even by four alicorns. It is impossible."

Lock let his head hang again and sighed. "Still thank you highness for the offer. I will go home now."

The princesses nodded and Celestia called some guards. "Guards please escort Lock Changer to his house and his family and inform them what happened."

The guards bowed fast. "Yes your highness." They turned around and followed Lock out of the room.

After he was gone Luna turned to Fallen. "What item was stolen?"

Fallen looked at both of the princesses and then looked if anypony was near. "The dark box. That reminds me I never told you what is inside and I told no pony about it besides you two so how could Blueblood know about it?"

Celestia let her head hang in shame. "Since you never told us what inside is I thought I wasn't important to keep it a secret."

Fallen rubbed his forehead with his hoof. "Then let me tell you this. I can't tell you what is inside but I can tell you that it is dangerous enough that it could have destroyed Canterlot if Blueblood got it. I have to go now I already missed breakfast and I don't want to miss lunch too."

He turned around and left the room before the princesses could say another word. As he was outside of the castle he stepped on his carriage an told his still waiting shadows to fly.

As they reached Ponyville it was nearly noon. He landed in next to the castle like always and let the shadows disappear. Fallen made his way inside the castle to the dining room and as he reached it he saw that they were about to start eating lunch.

Bright looked up from her plate and pointed at one of the seats. "We already thought you wouldn't come to lunch. Spike prepared already something for you. What happened this morning?"

Fallen sat down on his seat and began to tell them the same story he told the princesses and what happened to Blueblood. As he finished they all were finished with their lunch and Twilight had a question. "What item was stolen from you?"

"I will not tell you. I can only tell you that it is inside a black box and it is dangerous."

Bright nodded. "If you say so it is probably better if we don't know."

Fallen nodded and stood up. "I have some work to do. Today's training is canceled Twilight."

He walked away and Twilight and Bright made their way to the library. Fallen quickly walked to his laboratory. He still needed to clear a few thing up.

In his laboratory Fallen looked at the box. He took it from the worktable and placed it in the middle of the room where he opened it. Red light filled the room and black smoke left the box. It covered the complete ground of the laboratory. Fallen bowed before the box.

Fallen heard the voice. "Malonex my student, I saw what happened. Did you take care of the thief?"

Fallen stood up and nodded. "Yes master, I place a spell on his mind. I destroyed his memories, he thinks that I saved his live. I his talent in breaking spells, locks and sneaking into places could be useful one day."

"Indeed my student. Did somepony become suspicious or has an idea about our plans?"

Fallen shook his head. "No. They all think I rescued Lock. No pony has a clue about our plans."

"Good work Malonex. You are even better than your father in such things."

Fallen smiled and bowed again and then walked to the box. He closed it and took it to his room where he placed it in the dark fire again.