The dark brother of the bright student

Fallen was sleeping in his laboratory, with his head on one of his worktables, until he heard Arachna. He lifted his head and turned around to see that Twilight was standing with the back at the wall with Arachna standing before her threatening watching every of her motions.

"Arachna, back away from her!" Arachna turned around to look at Fallen. "Now!" The spider walked to her cobweb in the corner of the room.

"Thank you Fallen."

"How did you get inside?"

"I opened the locking crystal."

"That was clear to me but where did you learned to use dark beams?" asked Fallen, not really satisfied with Twilights answer.

"Well I saw Celestia use it once and copied it."

'Seems like Celestia had learned something from my experiment-protocols. I never thought that she even had a dark side to use these spells.'

"That is interesting, but why exactly are you here?" He turned away to sort some of his notes.

"Well I need you to buy some apples from Applejack." She tried her best to not look at his eyes as he turned around.

"And why should I do that for you? I still have experiments to finish."

Now Bright walked inside the laboratory too. "Because yesterday you talked to nearly no other pony."

"I will not go through the whole town just to buy some apples," said Fallen and turned to Bright. "and you promised me to let me work!"

"I will keep my promise if you go and talk to some ponies." said Bright smiling.

Fallen sighed because he knew this would go the same way as yesterday. "Fine but I tell you, this is the last time this will work."

Bright hugged him. "Yippee! I promise this is the last time for this week that I will stop you from working ."

"I definitely need to use a more complex spell to use on the locking crystal."

He walked outside but stopped. "That reminds me, when dose the mail normally arrive?"

"The mail normally should arrive around forenoon."

"Good, Bright you take my weekly payment and other letters and take care no one else touch this."

"Ok, see you later." Twilight gave Fallen some bits and Bright waved to say goodbye. As he was gone Bright turned to Twilight.

"Why again did we send him alone away?"

"Shining Armor wrote me that he can send me a dark crystal today and I need Fallens notes about the crystal to prepare it so he don't need to do all the work again. I highly doubt that he would share them. I told Applejack to not let him go until afternoon"

"They found a new one very fast."

"I know but Shining told my they found a big cave filled with natural dark crystals in the crystal mines. Well since there is still some time, how about we go back inside and go on with magic lessons."They walked back inside to the library.

Fallen walked through the town and after some time he noticed that he was followed by three fillies. It seems like they tried to not get caught by him but failed horribly every time they tried to hide and crashed into each other when he turned around.

He ignored it but then realized that he has no idea where he has to go. 'Maybe my little followers can help but first I want answers.'

He used his dark magic to levitate all of them in front of him. Now he noticed that each of them belongs to one of the three pony tribes.

"Why are you following me?"

The earth pony spoke first "We didn't followed ya!"

Fallen levitated them closer to his face. "I ask you to look at the situation you are in and think again if it is smart to lie to me!"

"Ok ok. We followed ya because ma sister Applejack told us to stay away from ya but we were curious what so special about ya."

He let them to the ground but as they tried to run away he block their way with a crystal wall.

"I let you down but I never said I would let you go. I still have some questions. First of all, who are you?"

This time the unicorn spoke first. "My name is Sweetie Belle."

Than the pegasus. "Mine is Scootaloo."

And at last the earth pony. "And ma name is Apple Bloom."

Then they screams all together. "And together we are the cutie mark crusaders yay!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well I am high mage Fallen Dark, and now I want to know why did you followed me exactly. What did you expect to see?"

Sweetie Belle spoke this time. "We thought we can get our cutie marks for being spies."

Fallen didn't want to know why they thought that would be a good idea. "So, you said you are Applejacks sister. Then you probably know where I can find her."

He looked directly in Apple Blooms eyes. "She should be at Sweet Apple Acers."

"Then lead the way." He stomped on the ground and the crystals disappeared.

"Sure we have to go back to our clubhouse anyway."

The three fillies walked and Fallen followed them. They walked in silence what Fallen appreciated, until Sweetie Belle spoke to him. "Where did you learn this magic, I never saw Twilight use something like this?"

"It is dark magic and I discovered most of the spells by myself."

"Wow, can you show me how to use it?"

He looked at her. 'I don't think she has enough darkness inside her.'

"I don't think you are made for the path of darkness. Dark magic is made for loners, your friends would only weaken you and I don't think you want to separate yourself from your friends."

Sweetie Belle looked on the ground. "Oh I think you are right."

Later they arrived at the farm and Apple Bloom spoke again. "We are going to our clubhouse, Applejack should be somewhere bucking apple trees."

They ran away and waved. "Goodbye Mr. Dark."

Fallen walked between the trees until he heard the sound of falling apples. He followed the sound and saw Applejack carrying a basket apples next to her was a big red stallion doing the same.

Applejack noticed Fallen. "Howdy Fallen, nice to see ya again. This is my big brother Big Macintosh."

"Eeyup."

"So what are ya doing around here?"

"Twilight send me here to buy some apples from you." He took out the bits.

Now she remembered that Twilight told her to distract him until afternoon.

"Well we first need to bring all these apple filled baskets back to the farm." She pointed at twenty filled baskets.

"I will speed up this process." He summoned twenty shadow-minions. Each of them took one of the baskets. "Where should they bring the apples?"

"Just follow us." Applejack, Big Mac and Fallen walked back to the farm followed by twenty scary shadow-minions.

They stored the apples and Fallen talked with Applejack again. "Why did you told you sister and her friends to stay away from me."

"Ehm... Well... You know... Ähm...because ah didn't want them to disturb you." Applejack looked away from him.

"You are a horrible liar. You thought I would hurt them if they annoy me because I am an dark magician."

"N-no."

"I thought the bearer of the elements of harmony wouldn't judge a pony after their first encounter."

Applejack let her head hanging. "Ya, I am sorry if that hurt your feelings."

"You don't have to be sorry. I am used to thing like that since I started studying dark magic. Now can you please give me the apples, so I can go home."

"Sure." She handed him a bag filled with apples. She began to thought about a way to hold him back a little more. "But there is something I need the help of an magician."

He already turned around. "Ask some other unicorn."

He attempted to walk away as Applejack spoke again. "I think dark magic is needed."

He stopped walking. "I hear?"

"Well... Ehm... We have a problem with...rats! Right we have a problem with rats."

He turned around and raised an eyebrow. "And why do you need dark magic for that?"

"Well we can't capture them maybe you can get them with your magic."

He raised his crystal hoof to his chin and thought. 'That would be a great opportunity to test one of my new spell.'

"Fine, but first I need one of the rats."

"Sure, maybe there is one in one of the traps."

They walked in to the barn and Applejack checked the traps. Fallen prepared the spell. "Ah have one of the rats!"

"Bring it to me." Applejack took the trap and place it before Fallen. He cast the spell on the rat, which seems to have no effect besides the green glow in the eyes of the rat."Free the rat."

Applejack opened the trap without contradicting.

The rat ran immediately away. "The rat will now run back to his nest, there he will spread the plague I place on him. I think it will take twelve hours until every rat is infected. The plague will kill all of them after twenty-four hours and they will fall to dust. You don't have to fear that something else gets infected. This spell can only affect rats, a plague for other creatures would be much more difficulty."

"But there is another rat in one of the traps. Should I free it too?"

"Actually I have to test something else. You don't mind I make a little test?" He grinned.

Applejack didn't liked the look on his face but didn't saw a reason why not. "Sure." She took the other Trap with a rat in it to him.

He took the rat out of the trap and shackled it with little chains made of dark crystals. 'Let's see if this see if this new torture spell works like planned.'

His eyes glowed bright green and purple mist came from the corner of his eyes but instate of shooting a beam he shoot a stream of purple green fire at the rat. The rat began to writhe in pain as it catches fire and started burning.

"What the hay are ya doing?"

"I cast a special version of dark flames, it will burn the flesh of the rat but will do no irreparable damage. It will burn forever and will cause pain without killing it, until I stop the flames with a new spell. It is wonderful to see that it works perfect." Applejack was scared by knowing that he can use such spells.

"Why do ya need such a spell?"

"A dark mage can find many uses in a spell."

He turned around and began to walk away until Applejack stopped him. "Didn't ya forget something?" She pointed at the still in pain writhing rat.

"Ah, right!"

He walked back but instate of disabling the spell he lifted his crystal hoof above. As Applejack wanted to ask what he is doing he stomped with his hoof and crushed the skull by doing so.

Applejack looked at him with an open mouth.

"Well, thanks for the possibility to test my spells. Goodbye." He took the bag with the apples and walked away not waiting for an answer.

Applejack still didn't said anything and had only one thought. 'I have to keep Apple Bloom and her friends as far away from Fallen as possible!'

As Fallen arrived at the castle it was already late afternoon. 'And another day without many steps forward at my experiments. At last I could test some spells'

He walked through the castle searching for Twilight to give her the apples. As he arrived in the library he saw Twilight sitting on the ground with an dark crystal in front of her.

He watched as she tried multiple times to cast a dark spell from the notes that were lying next to her.

"Why can't I cast this spell? If he has enough magical energy than it should be no problem for me."

He stepped behind her. "What are you doing with my notes?!"

She immediately stood up and turned around as she heard his voice.

"Fallen what are you doing here?!"

"I bring you the apples, but now explain why did you stole my notes. And after that tell why I shouldn't rip your wings from your back?" His eyes started glowing with dark magic.

She tied to explain as fast as she can. "The dark crystal arrived today and I wanted to prepare it so you had less work to do but I couldn't even cast the first spell that was needed!"

"Didn't I told you that I will kill you if you touch another one of my experiments. Did you thought I would break my word?"

"I am sorry I didn't want to make you mad, I just wanted to help." His eyes stopped glowing as he slowly calmed down.

"Well since you didn't destroyed something this time I will forget it one more time but this is my last warning. Ask me first if you want something from me."

"Ok I am sorry. Now take your new dark crystal." She handed him the crystal.

He took it and looked at it from every side. "Well I must say this is an very impressive and powerful exemplar. May I ask where it was found?"

By hearing the calm tone in his voice she knew that he really forget what happened. "It was found in the mines of the crystal empire."

"Interesting..." He looked at the crystal without saying anything more.

"May I ask why I couldn't perform your spells."

He looked back to her. " To use dark magic you use the darkness inside you and simply you haven't enough darkness in you to cast something beyond a weak beam. Now if you excuse me I will take this crystal and my notes and prepare everything so I can go on with this experiment tomorrow."

He levitates the notes and the crystal next to him and walked to his laboratory.

He cast a dark beam to open the door and walked inside. Arachna was sleeping in her cobweb.

He placed the crystal on the table and began to cast the spells from his notes.

As he finished the last spell he heard Spike calling out for dinner. "Come Arachna it is time to eat." Arachna woke up and followed Fallen to the dining hall.

He sat down at his place and Arachna started immediately eating.

Bright was the first one that said something. "How was your day Fallen?"

"Well I was faster with my experiments than I thought. It will probably take only one day to catch up with my time plan."

Twilight was happy to hear that. "Well since you are so fast I thought it would be nice if you would show me how to use magic in a fight."

Fallen stopped eating. "I am only two days here and already two ponies asked me to train them in magic."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Who else asked you to train him?"

He just shrugged. "Just a filly named Sweetie Belle or something like that. I told her that she is not made for the path of darkness. Even if her dark side is strong enough doesn't mean she can control her darkness."

"What do you mean by control her darkness, I thought she only need to use her hatred?"

"Yes, that is true, but this is only the first step. If you want to control dark magic you need to control your darkness, the part of you that is made of your hate, fear, envy etc. you probably already heard about this. You need to control yourself or you will turn yourself in to an beams shooting berserker. Maybe I can find some other pony I this town to be my student."

Twilight wasn't sure if she liked the idea of having another dark magician in this town. "I don't think you will find somepony who would fit for this position in this town."

He lifted his crystal hoof to his chin and thought about how they met first. "You are probably right. The ponies in this town are simply too friendly to have a strong dark side and I don't think I have enough time to make my experiments and train more than one pony."

This was a relive for Twilight that until she realized what he just said. "Wait, do you mean you will show me how to fight with magic?"

Bright was shocked to hear that. "That is unfair I ask you to train me a long time ago and every time you said one day and now you train somepony else before me?"

Fallen closed his eyes, he hated this discussion. "I also told you that you are way too young for my methods and it would only complicate you healing studies."

He finished the last bite of his food and stood up. "I will now go back to my experiments, Twilight I see you tomorrow morning at 9:00 o'clock next to the castle! Don't be late!" And with that he walked away.

Bright shouted after him. "I placed your mail on your bed!"

"Good." He was already outside the room.

As Twilight was sure he couldn't hear them anymore jumped from her seat. "Yes! I will learn new magic tactics!"

Bright just looked at her and Twilight calmed down."Oh. Ehm. Well that reminds me how far did you get with your studies while I was busy with the crystal?"

"Um Äh I was learning buuuuuut....." Bright looked around to avoid eye contact.

"You didn't learn anything right?"

Bright looked at the ground. "Yes but I promise I will catch up all the lost time. "

"You have all work finished until tomorrow after the training with Fallen!"

"Ok!" She smiled and ran to the library to start working.

Twilight shouted after her. "When you have finished everything ask me for the next lesson!"

There were still plenty healing spells Bright needed to learn before they could start with the next bigger aspect of magic.