In the Everfree forest someone is looking at the body of someone and she says in a calm voice, "He is still breathing after all of this. He is lucky."

That is when she hears someone coming and in a blink of an eye, she is nowhere to be found.

------------------

The scene shows Spike desperately searching the clutches of the Everfree Forest, with the only thing on his mind being to find Lorcan if he's even alive but felt concern, but felt rage, but felt confusion from shrugging off one emotion by the next. What was wrong with him anyhow, it's like the more reasons he wants to hate Lorcan for being the biggest enemy villain to Ponyville, to all of Equastria, bigger than Nightmare Moon's Eternal Night, bigger than Discord's Chaos and Calamity, bigger than the Changeling Invasion of wanting to take others emotions as fuel, heck, this guy even pulled the strings on Boris the Red Devil and in trying to kill Ben Mare, hurt Nyx, and all to keep Twilight as his own trophy property, plus a bad mouth to good Earth Ponies everywhere. So why was it, the more he thought of the evil this guy did, the more that burden felt lifted from knowing that…Lorcan…was his brother? His only known blood-relative besides his grandfather, his other known connections to what his 'Real' family may have been like while he was still and egg before he met Twilight?

Soon it wasn't long before Spike came across a clearing, and right between some busted up branches and within a newly made dirt crater…was the body of Lorcan. Spike slowly skidded down the dirt drenched and cautiously approached him while he lied there…unmoving…and un-breathing. The baby dragon was starting to wonder…if Lorcan really was finished, if the Elements of Harmony did the villain in, would the baby dragon feel the regret that he was the one that caused this death in a state he had no control over?

"Gaugh…" Lorcan gasped out for breath as it showed he wasn't dead yet and looked to his side in noticing…he had company. "Spike…wha…why are you?" The weaken foe spoke from shortage of breath in seeing that only Spike was here, where were the others with him, had they not already defeated his beastly creation by now?

"I'm here, cause I was looking for you." Spike spoke off with a determine state, looking at Lorcan in the eye while not trying to show an effect of weakness to this villain even when he's down.

"Hehn, really…" Lorcan spoke from looking into Spike's eyes, and saw…he was alone; the villain shut his eyes to look away while spatting off something. "Come to finish our settlement at last, hugh, well now you have the perfect chance…to end this." Lorcan blurted off in believing that if Spike came here to end their battle, then what better chance than now while the evil dragon is completely at the mercy of but a single motive to kill him with any method?

"I didn't come here to finish our score OR to end you!" Spike snapped off to wave motion his left arm, stating that his reason being here is not to kill Lorcan at all.

"Really…hugh, you must be really dense." Lorcan turned his tired head to stare at the baby dragon in a half-hearty remark, who could be but more foolish to not take the chance to kill him. "I lie here before you…as an enemy…as a villain…as a threat to ponies all around!" The dragon villain exclaimed out the pointers that Spike clearly has forgotten so he's bringing them all up. "What possible reason could your presence here be if not to end my reign right now?" Lorcan asked off in demanding to know if Spike isn't here to kill him and end his evil acts for good, then what other reason could there be for him to still be breathing?

"Because I have questions and only you can answer them!" Spike declared out with a serious manner of his expression in wanting this dragon foe to give him the facts, straight. "Also, that one attack that got you, when I was shooting flames at ya….that wasn't me." The baby dragon crossed his elbows to look a little timid in stating that what hit Lorcan, was not really his doing.

"What do you mean? The fire came from within you, I felt it!" Lorcan snarled off in hearing Spike say that he wasn't even trying to deny that his flames were not of his own.

"And I'm saying that I wasn't the one PULLING the strings that time, I tried to hold it back!" Spike snapped off in looking to this weaken foe in stating that what he did was not of his 'own' actions as something 'force' him into doing the act. "That attack that got your clone wasn't my own flames…that guy…with that magic…force my fire to explode from in my gut!" The baby dragon tried to explain that what he felt was Grimmore's magic of the gain copied Triforce, through its power made Spike's inner powers erupt with no way to contain or control it.

"Hugh, so you are feeling sympathy for me…because what may have killed me wasn't your own?" Lorcan sighed off in imagining what he's hearing, was that Spike was feeling guilty for doing something that was not entirely his doing one time? "But I shall tell you this Spike; that power…was your own. It's just…got a good push start by another's involvement." The fallen dragon looked to Spike with a calm motion in saying that what that power that hit him from the baby dragon, even though it got a push force from someone, was actually this little guy's true power.

"Wha..." Spike yelped in hearing, but not believing what Lorcan had just said. "Then that really was my power? But that mark…" The baby dragon tried to say that when that glowing emerald color Triforce mark was on him, that could been the real cause, however…Lorcan held up a hand, coughed before speaking.

"Was the key to unlocking your true potential from within, cough….and I must say, it did a number." Lorcan explained out with an honest opinion in knowing very much, that what Spike unleashed was the baby dragon's true potential. "It's funny, when I saw my alternative reality self die by your power, I can only imagine it was nothing like this." He gazed into the skies in recalling his moment in seeing in Twilight's dream state, how his other self got killed.

"Wait...what?" Spike responded a bit lost and confused, what was this dragon spouting off now from his serious wounds and injuries?

"Nevermind, humph…far too complicated," Lorcan shook his head off in stating that Spike couldn't understand what he means anyway or would go into such details "In any case, your flames are strong because you and I…are special dragons." The fallen dragon stated with a welcome gesture in saying what he spoke was no lie.

"Special…dragons," Spike responded in being somewhat puzzled yet curious in liking to know more about such a case.

"You wish I tell you about answers you seek, then listen closely, and I shall reveal what I know." Lorcan spoke with a slight serious expression as he plans to tell Spike a secret that only he alone knows about that once told….the baby dragon shall know things of his past.

In a flashback, we see Lorcan training under Tadaka right after being scarred, becoming more terrifying and wicked than ever.

Lorcan's voice narrates, "As far as I can remember, our father trained me to hate and kill you dragons, to take control of Equestria. I refuse to at first but...he did something that made me see the light."

We see Lorcan smiling over a new egg that Sindell has just hatched, cuddling it like the thing was her greatest treasure ever.

"I was...happy when mother laid you that day. I was hoping that when you hatched, we will be together like real brothers...though father wanted you to help continue his legacy and plans of destroying our enemies." Lorcan's voice narrates.

We now see Lorcan looks devastated as he couldn't find Spike's egg right after Celestia left the ruins of the castle with it.

"When I saw Celestia leave the castle, right after the destruction of our parents, I was devastated." Lorcan narrates some more. "I truly thought that Celestia has destroyed you, and I vowed payback...even revenge."

"And since your egg was lost then, things had fallen apart." Lorcan sighed from finishing that last part of his story for a moment.

Spike was pretty bizarre out from hearing how much of the story he heard, but then something caught his attention. "Wait a second; that might explain a few missing pieces." Spike noticed from what he's heard, and that since Lorcan only knew so much, it's time that he fill in the blanks. "I was told that I hatched during Twilight's entrance exam, and that afterwards, became her assistant. And that where my egg came from, well…that was left under-wraps until you filled in the blanks," The baby dragon stated out from now seeing all the key pieces fit. From Lorcan's story to his own story, the missing pieces filled the void to tell the story as it should be.

"Hmph. Twilight…" Lorcan huffed off in remarking the name with somewhat an annoyed tone.

"Which brings up to another reason, what do you truly got against Twilight?" Spike asked with a serious expression in seeing and recalling, how much Lorcan has been doing to Twilight Sparkle lately?

"One of the reasons was because I had believed she killed you!" Lorcan spoke off in exclaiming the matter of his reasoning was…in thought of Spike's death.

"Killed me? How's that got to do with that and making Twilight miserable?" Spike responded completely shocked, unaware in where that has to go with the story about Lorcan going after Twilight now.

"When I heard rumor about an egg that was taken from our father in Canterlot, I was overjoyed and believed that it must be you so I went over to the kingdom to steal it...but I was too late and devastated. Why? Because I overheard some guards while tossing some broken egg shells out, saying that dragon from the egg really blew up in the exam room!" Lorcan exclaimed from his aggressive manner in how he came across such knowledge which brought him to a sorrow state. "I saw the egg was yours, how could I forget my own little brother's shell color, and when I heard who did the deed…my rage to make her suffer on your death had been hatched in my heart." He started to look angry in remembering who indeed it was that cracked Spike's egg and so gave birth to his hatred towards Twilight and other ponies for making mockery of dragons.

"Oh brother, have you got everything backwards!" Spike slapped his forehead in complete disbelief in what he's hearing from this story.

"Which in terms, brings up to the next course of my life after that fateful day," Lorcan stated out in returning their focus on the story that he's still telling now, "The day of meeting with Grimmore, his involvement with both me and Tadaka." By the sounds of his voice, he spoke grief on Tadaka, but a mean tone in recalling Grimmore in the discussion, especially after what happened around the Overlord King's involvement.

"Is the guy you're talking about the first or the second of the person that…got you into this mess?" Spike raised his left claw in pondering a question he would very much like it to be answered.

"That would be Grimmore, heed my words…he's more demon then any you've come across." Lorcan stated out in saying who the person in question that got him done was while giving some shared warnings. "The only thing that keeps anyone safe from him is that he's kept powers and all in the deepest center of Tartarus….but that doesn't mean he'll try something 'sneaky' on a helpless creature." These warnings sounded really serious, as even Spike can tell that Lorcan spoke of this Grimmore guy like he's no arrange being. "And while Tadaka is powerful, only Grimmore could ever be said to be closer to his. And they are TEN TIMES more powerful than me." The fallen dragon looked to the skies in stating how strong the two that he recalls out about their strength…surprising his own.

"Te-te-ten times more powerful?" Spike spoke out from nearly gasping in disbelief, there were others even more powerful than Lorcan, who was particularly a close match against Princess Celestia and Luna in a few encounters?

"Well, more a hundred, but back to my story." Lorcan rolled his eyes off in recalling how strong those 'others' he mentioned are which only made Spike's nervous edges sky rocket all the more. "It's also the fate….when I would live with the task I got from meeting a pony…named Starlight." The fallen dragon silently spoke off as he brings up the next discussion revolving around….Twilight and Shining Armor's littlest family member.

Lorcan looks devastated as he walks away from the Canterlot school. His brother is gone; the last thing to his family was gone forever. True, his grandfather, King Spykoran the Old, is still alive, but what's the point with no parents or father to support him, care for Lorcan or the whatnot? He wants...revenge.

"My, my, getting devastated, are we?" A point taunts out, making Lorcan yelps as he saw some sort of window to a fiery pit appearing.

"Who are you?!" Lorcan demands furiously as a unknown stranger appears in the window.

"Just someone who looks out for the little guy...like you for one."

"I am not short, shut up!"

The stranger chuckles a bit, saying, "Forgive me, I meant that in a helping others sorta way. I have been watching you. You have went through a lot lately, I bet."

"I...I have." Lorcan said, clutching his fist in rage. "I found out that a little filly named Twilight Sparkle has blew up my brother...I came all this way to be reunited with him, only to lose my baby brother again! ARGH! I HATE PONIES, I REALLY REALLY DO!"

"How ironic, your father came to me when he had that problem."

"You knew my father?"

"He and I were...acquaintances of sorts. I helped him during the big moments of that war he made against the ponies centuries ago. Perhaps I could help you right back." The stranger said thoughtfully.

"And how do you attend on doing that?" Lorcan ask the stranger doubtfully. How can this guy help him? There isn't much that can be done right now.

The stranger smirks as he held up a hand...and a flash came from it. Lorcan yelps as he begins to feel affected by some sort of power, causing him to fall to the ground...soon, all stops and things are the way it was...or is it?

"What did you do to me?!" Lorcan demands to the stranger in anger.

"Gave you more power, including a powerful form that you can use in the future; Feel free to thank me again when the time comes...you may want my help again someday. And in case you want to know...my name is Grimmore," The stranger known as Grimmore remarks, laughing before disappearing from sight. Lorcan groans a bit as he got back up while glaring at where his 'new friend' used to be.

The dragon hopes to never see him again.

---------------------

In a cave, Lorcan growled furiously while mumbling, "She killed him, she killed him...that filly will pay...somehow." Unknown to him, Grimmore's special power is driving him mad, insane even...

Just then, Lorcan spotted something, two ponies, a familiar filly and a little colt, trotting through the cave. The scarred dragon smirks sinisterly, revenge...

"Wait, what's that?" Starlight asked Twilight in concern as he hears a noise.

"Starlight, we can't dawdle. I got to get these mushrooms back to the academy by tonight." Twilight said as she picked some mushrooms that the princess wants her to get for her lesson. The pony didn't bother bringing much friends, she didn't make any more since Ben's disappearance.

A familiar hiss is heard, startling the two ponies. Starlight asked, "Twilight, what's that?"

"Precioussss, yesss, good to see you at lassst, little preciousss," A familiar voice hissed out. The two ponies gasped as Lorcan came out of the shadows. "Welcome to my cave, say the ssspider...to the doomed fliesss!"

"What do you want?" Twilight asked in fear as she hid behind Starlight. "W-w-who are you?"

"My name is Lorcan...and I believe you took ssssomething from me." Lorcan remarked insanely. "I don't like that, little one...esssspecially from ponies!"

Twilight gasped a bit, knowing whom she's talking about. Lorcan is referring to Spike, the baby dragon she hatched. Celestia, despite other ponies' protests, had decided to let the egg be raised by a family of unicorns. The princess told the young filly of the baby dragon's family and history and requested that he is not to be told of Lorcan or Tadaka, but to live a life that away from the evil.

"Naughty, naughty, little one," Lorcan hissed like a snake. The little dragon held up a claw. "Now hold ssstill and this will be done much fasssster without a fussssssss!"

Lorcan hisses as he lunges at Twilight but Starlight quickly head butts him, knocking the dragon away from his sister.

"Run, Twilight, run!" Starlight calls out. Twilight didn't hesitate or question, she quickly makes a run for it. The young filly looks back in terror as the one who spoke follows her but was grabbed by Lorcan.

"Foolish colt; you cannot run from me." Lorcan's voice hisses evilly. Twilight can watch in horror as the one who spoke raises a claw and stabs the one who told her to run.

"Starlight, no," Twilight screams in terror as she can see blood on the floor. "NOOOO..."

"And now..." Lorcan said sinisterly as he turns to Twilight. "It's your turn. You should not have taken my brother from me..."

Lorcan prepares to lunge but Twilight frantically fires off a huge blast that hits the ceiling. A bunch of rocks fell right in front of the dragon, keeping him from the filly who saw the opportunity to escape.

"NOOOOO; YOU CANNOT ESCAPE!" Lorcan exclaims furiously as he begins tossing the rocks back and forth until they are gone. But to his shock and fury, the one he wants to kill escaped, "Lost! LOST! That brat has escaped my claws, lost!" The dragon screams as Twilight ran for it, "Killer Twilight! Killer! It stole my brother! My brother; my baby brother of 50 years ago; Killer Twilight! We hates it forever! We hates it forever! WE HATES IT FOREVER!"

Unknown to Lorcan, as he continues screeching and shaking his fist in rage, the dragon fails to see some sort of portal opening. A hand grabs Starlight's body and pulls it out of sight before the portal disappears...

Spike stared in shock in what he's heard from Lorcan about the past that's lead up to their current situation. At this moment, Spike would feel pretty much furious that his own 'brother' did terrible crimes, and for what came out from it? The only good that's done is bring pain, misery and suffering to anyone, pony or otherwise in those category orders somewhat. Yet at best as he can fairly see it, the true masterminds pulling Lorcan's strings from the very bingeing, were Tadaka and Grimmore. The dragons' father sounded like a really serious case to turn Lorcan into a rampaging psycho to get his revenge, especially to fill the dragon's soul with more evil and darkness by pulling such a horrible case like murder on Twilight's little brother that was still only a small foal. Then there's Grimmore, The Overlord King, he can possibly be seen as just as deadly an enemy to match Tadaka especially when the villain gave Lorcan his power in the first place. Only difference between the two is that Grimmore watches & amuses himself in seeing how others act and how to manipulate them and cares not of any threats, even from the Elements of Harmony, or the Royal Pony Sisters, he sees as ants to a giant. Takada, he can be seen in a few different standards from Grimmore from how the story was told about such an evil being.

"So after all this time…you let others control you?" Spike spoke off with a dry tone of annoyance in not believing what has come to terms of Lorcan's present state. "You jump to the wrong conclusions and look at where it's gotten you. You've basically become nothing more…than a tool for hating and killing ponies that did nothing to you." The baby dragon pointed at the weaken foe in saying that if his brother had not been so blind, he could have seen the truth and that all of this…his 'evil' would not have gone off hurting innocent ponies all this time.

"Hehn….you know…even in this weaken form…you're right." Lorcan shrug off with a small hidden smile face in admitting…that Spike was right.

"And another thing, I…wait! What now? I'm right?" Spike was about to continue his rant if he hadn't stopped suddenly from hearing Lorcan say...he's right. What suddenly brought this side to the enemy dragon's change in personality issues?

"My heart was filled with darkness, the same darkness that grew and completely changed me into what you see before you." Lorcan expressed himself as he struggled to place his left claw on the spot where his heart is located. "Hmph, in a way, I'm glad Grimmore fooled me to this end and you used the Elements on me at the other." The fallen dragon remarked out under his breath, almost sounding like a sarcastic kinda response in giving thanks to the one being that did this to him as well as the Element of Harmony.

"What makes you say that?" Spike asked from a raised eyebrow, not following why Lorcan wanted to thank someone for manipulating him to the point of his near death, it makes no sense.

"Because that creature I made was 'most' of the darkness I made over the years. And now…I have nothing left to fill the void…" Lorcan explained to Spike in stating with a closed eyes expression that when he created the deadly beast to finish off the ponies, it took most of his darkness to which, the dragon slowly began to feel… 'strange' about himself. "I still got some left but that was gone in our final battle. Now that I'm in this state, I can see…feel…and respond to what has happened." He spoke from lifting up to stare at his own claw in feeling the wind pass between the fingers. "My mistakes….my crimes…" Lorcan spoke with such grief, pain, and feeling miserable about now from all the things he's done over the years. "Yet…joy and finding what it was that I've long since forgotten." The dragon smiled suddenly as if for the first time in all his life, he had rediscovered his missing joyful moments in life, the emotions from his heart he thought to have lost when he had nothing to fill the void emptiness.

Then suddenly, at the bottom of Lorcan's feet, particulars were fading away from his toes in the forms of green flame dust. This now sooner caught the two dragons having a discussion to bared witness at what is now happening.

"Ugh…Lorcan; you're…what's going on?" Spike yelped in shock and looked to the still weaken Lorcan, almost baffled in seeing something happening to this dragon and yet doesn't know why or how it's happening now.

"It seems…my form is crippling away…" Lorcan spoke from seeing what is happening to his own body and the knowledge that leads to this theory. "Without the darkness…the power I've gain…..my body is slowly fading into nothingness." He stated out from seeing the effects reach his ankles and trying to work up the rest of his body to…vanish completely away from being defeated.

"Then…this is serious!" Spike yelped up in fearing what this could all mean and he has to act fast to help, somehow. "Don't move…oops, bad idea, you can't move at all!" The baby dragon was in a complete mix of fear, confusion, and mix emotions from losing it over what's happening now. "Wel-wel-well just wait, I'll go get help and then we can…" Spike was waving his hands to Lorcan to wait while he gets help and almost turn to leave…except…

"Spike…" Lorcan's voice spoke from a struggled loud tone that made Spike freeze where he was. "That won't be necessary." He stated out to the baby dragon that such efforts; would not be needed and left a confusion in the atmosphere.

"Wh-why…" Spike turned in fear of what he was asking of that meaning as he see's Lorcan's kneecaps were fading away into green flame dust particles.

Lorcan ended up…smiling at the confused dragon just before speaking. "Because not even Celestia or Luna, despite their kind gentle nature, could stop what is happening." The fallen dragon suggested the reality of the situation, that what's happening can't be undone even by the ones that move the Sun & Moon themselves.

"Then…that's it. You're just gonna sit there and fade away…without a fight?" Spike asked off in disbelief, that the most dangerous villain he and the ponies have faced…was just gonna call it quits and just die without caring much about it. "You're just gonna go…and leave ME…again?" The baby dragon gripped his fist, shut his eyes while expressing some heartbreak emotion about this guy, as they are family, Lorcan will leave and Spike will no longer have any dragons or even much of his family left…he'll be kinda alone like when he was only an egg.

"No…this time will be different." Lorcan spoke from trying to calm Spike down which got the baby dragon's attention a bit in what he heard. "Know this Spike; learn from this experience as you grow." The former villain spoke to Spike with his eyes showing a tiny glow of his seriousness as he helped the baby dragon not be left in doubt. "In time, you must pass this down to other dragon generations…to prevent them…from undergoing the path I so foolishly chosen." Lorcan looked down at his body, his little raised up claws and down to where only his legs remain. The flaming particulars were slowly making the very legs he would walk on vanish; time was growing shorter for him.

"Sniff…sniff…o…okay." Spike sniffed a bit but rubbed his runny nose to try to be brave about the whole situation.

"One last thing I wish to have from you before my form's time is completely out." Lorcan spoke from using the only strength left in him to push his hands against the dirt to sit himself up straight with his legs ceasing to be of use.

"And that is…" Spike approached Lorcan puzzled; just what last wish request does this fallen dragon want? Hopefully, it's nothing evil, like kill ponies, that's one he'll turn down.

"Lift up my chest…to yours." Lorcan spoke from his eyes gazing at the ground in seeing his leg limbs fade away while the request he spoke sounded…fishy.

"Well sure, but it's not like it's gonna help or even…" Spike responded a bit confused as he went to pick Lorcan from his chest like he wanted the baby dragon to take him somewhere…however…that was clearly not the case.

Suddenly, Spike's words were cut off as the truly unexpected moment happened that none could have ever seen coming. Lorcan, with barely a waist line to his stomach and back that were fading, used his arms and lowered his head to give Spike…a hug. Time felt frozen for all of Spike's surroundings. The baby dragon was left speechless as he did not know what was Lorcan's plan, but as he felt resisting, Spike felt that within this former enemy…a tiny warmth of his heart finally warming the surface. And if that wasn't enough, a touch of some melody instruments were heard playing with a whistle tune, this was 'Whistle on The Wind (Tearful Mix)' by Motoi Sakuraba, and like the mood settling, the wind was gently blowing within the dragon brother's area of this event.

"It helps give my heart some peace….for knowing that after all this time…the thing I've long lost and forgotten…" Lorcan spoke silently to Spike in speaking every word with a long motion tone as if what was missing all this time…has returned, "Was to feel love…the feeling from our mother….our father…and for us brothers." He spoke with deep emotions from his eyes showing no vile or evil intensions, but those of happiness…feelings he had when he himself was with a family.

"But…I…I…" Spike was so lost from what he's hearing, from even more so…feeling that the words in Lorcan's gentle voice and slow beating heart…were true words with no lies hidden.

"Don't fight it…this time…its true emotions." Lorcan spoke from feeling that he wants Spike to know, what he himself says isn't a lie, not this time or moment. "Just let it go….and the truth can help set us free from what we denied." Lorcan spoke from such words, even when his waist was fading away into the air.

Then without resistance, Spike returned the hug with his eyes shut, as he just let him and Lorcan have this peaceful moment to have for a sibling union. The baby dragon could truly believe that his brother was right, the darkness, born of hatred that lead him astray, has finally been lifted and they can be what they either long wished for…to be brothers. But a-last, even from the silent melody and gentle breezes brushing against their scales, Spike knew that this moment…would not last long for the two.

"Lorcan…I don't know what to say now…this all feels so…new to me." Spike spoke from his silent whisper voice, feeling that for the first time since he was hatched…wanted to know what it's like to be with family. Now the baby dragon is with another one, but for how long was the trouble and Lorcan was short on time.

"It is to us both, Spike." Lorcan spoke from a deep pleasant and peaceful feeling, even as the flaming dust particulars were making his stomach and back slowly fade away. "You know, Dragons are said to be known for their Power, their Courage, their Loyalty." The fallen dragon spoke in bringing up a subject as Spike listen while within the hug. "You may have been a bit late on the first, but it looks like the last two, the most important for any dragon…" Lorcan spoke with that of a smile stretching out on his face, one without the evil, the vile, of wicked nature of his former self to be replaced…with a calm, honest, to good nature. "You've learned it all…from being with your pony friends." He spoke from feeding his words to Spike to learn that what the baby dragon may have never gain at first, the former villain slowly began to adapt, from living with Twilight…from being around ponies…from learning things from them that not even a dragon could teach their young.

"Lorcan…" Spike muttered out, as he looked up at seeing now only Lorcan's two claw hands and head were all that were remaining while the trail of fading magical flames was eating up the last bits of him. "Sniff…Brother…" Spike sniffed a bit as Lorcan's left claw rub the baby dragon's side of the cheek where a tiny tear was seen escaping and the other claw held a good, brotherly grip on Spike's right shoulder. "Can I…ever see you again…" Spike asked from placing both his hands on Lorcan's right claw that rested on his shoulder, wondering if this was not a forever goodbye between family.

"Maybe…someday Spike. Maybe…someday," Lorcan spoke from feeling himself almost about to let go, but gave those comfort words to Spike.

"Ugh…ugh…" Spike tried to reach out his left hand to Lorcan's face, the only thing left now until…

"Take care…" Lorcan spoke those last little words as both the dragon's claws had finally faded away with Spike looking to this guy's face that was almost gone and… "Little Brother…" Lorcan spoke with for the first and possibly near lasting sincere smile he ever expressed before Spike's view.

Within those final words Lorcan spoke, the last piece of that dragon faded away within the flit of the green flames Spike stood alone as now he was just staying there without a single reaction, a single motive, a single feeling after what happened. Lorcan had vanished within the winds carrying him away as now the baby dragon felt like….in the last few moments, he got to really know what his brother was like. Truly deep down inside, there was good that was only shrouded by so much darkness that blinded his path…making Lorcan take such an evil road in his life. But during his final moments, here with his brother that helped shown the light to his lost ways brought back the person he was. At least now, Lorcan was now free from the eternal torture in what he suffered through. But Spike still let a bit more of his tears leak out from his eyes from feeling a great burden on himself.

"Farewell…sniff, brother…" Spike muttered under his breath as he lowered his head to shed off a closed eyelid tear.

"Spike…Spiiiiike!" Suddenly, the voice of Twilight Sparkle was heard that broke Spike's silent moment of grieving over Lorcan's disappearance. "Spike, where are you?" The unicorn responded again in not seeing where Spike was as she was just behind a few trees and the area where the baby dragon had his last moments with Lorcan.

"Ugh…hmmm…" Spike yelped a bit, tried to rub out his soggy eyes before acting like he was fine. "Here I am, Twilight!" The baby dragon responded as he was climbing out of the crater to meet the purple unicorn.

"Thank goodness." Twilight sighed in relief as she approached Spike with a smile on her face. "When you weren't around, everyone got worried, so we searched for you." She explained that after the battle with Lorcan's creature, Twilight and the others had to go and find their missing friend. "What are you doing in the Everfree Forest?" The smart pony asked from cocking up an eyebrow in finding the baby dragon here or all places, a little odd from handling one danger and going for another.

"Well…I was seeing Lorcan…" Spike rubbed his claws together in seeing that he might be in trouble, but then he just looked away in sadness in what he said next. "Fading away…into nothingness." The smart unicorn could tell from Spike's sorrowful face of grief that he had no lies, that Lorcan didn't died from the Elements but vanish in an escape…but now...

"Oh…Spike…" Twilight Sparkle gasped in realizing what Spike was saying and she felt a bit heartbroken in how this was affecting the baby dragon. "I'm sorry that happened, but there is nothing that can be done." She rested her left hoof on Spike to speak with sincerity that if there was a way, they do it, but as of now, that just seems…impossible.

"Twilight…I know he was evil and all…but you know…" Spike spoke from looking at the grass in deep thought as he rose his face to meet Twilight's gaze with something to say. "He could have been a victim for all we know." Spike's words felt heavy and burden by the truth, which even Twilight lowered her hoof in surprise to hear this. Could Lorcan, someone who was so evil and brought misery to all ponies, have actually been an unfortunate victim of circumstance that made him into the villain he was?

"You know what Spike; that sounds like an important lesson to be learned." Twilight Sparkle showed a very gentle smile in nodding to Spike's statement, finding it very knowledgeable, if not something of greater importance. "Come on; let's get back to the others." She turned around, shook her head in the direction in where the others are waiting for them to return.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Spike nodded slowly from not getting over his sadness, but trailed Twilight by dragging his feet.

Suddenly, some passing leaves flew by Spike's ears and in a short instant they came by….the baby dragon heard a voice. "I am not gone. We will meet again." Spoke of a male voice, a voice that belonged to someone who at first spread fear…was more of a calm harmony.

"Hugh…What you say?" Spike snapped back to his senses as he looked around at the familiar voice he heard that left him confused.

"Spike…I said, let's hurry up to meet the others." Twilight Sparkle turned around to signal her assistant and friend to hurry up with her. The unicorn thought Spike didn't hear her voice since she was almost going to leave him behind

"Oh…um, right." Spike slowly responded a bit oddly of his surroundings before turning to follow the unicorn out of the forest.

Soon the same wind blew by with another message in the air that only Spike seems to have heard. "Take care and wait on my return anew…Little Brother." The baby dragon heard those words as he inched away from the exit of the forest where Twilight took and the baby dragon smiled. He knew whose voice it was in the distant wind, it belongs to Lorcan, he wasn't dead, just…away is all. Spike nods with a smile as he soon went off to catch up more with Twilight in leaving the EverFree Forest as nothing was left but the mystery wind blowing the leaves scattered on the ground. It was around here that the background melody playing faded out from serving its purpose of this entire scene.

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The scene changed to where Twilight and Spike exited the Evergreen Forest, where who would welcome them back with smiles of joy than the Mane Six and all their friends from the battle. There were many cries of joy to see the baby dragon was not hurt, mostly from Pinkie Pie and the CMC, and Nyx, but mostly the pink pony. There were many questions as to what happened to Spike that he just vanished off like that without a word during the party of when the ponies defeated Lorcan's monster of darkness or for what happened to the enemy that spoke with an unknown being along with the baby dragon using the Elements of Harmony on Lorcan. Spike held up his hands in asking that the group ask one question at a time and that after hearing each one would tell his side of the story, though it would be long to explain, the heroes deserve to know all the details.

"Everyone, everyone," Ben Mare exclaims witha chuckle to everyone. "We still got a party here. Let's save the questions for later."

"Right, come on, this is a party, let's go!" Pinkie giggles as the party resumes itself.

Celestia trots up to Spike, with Spykoran following. She spoke up, "Spike, we thank you for saving Equestria from your own brother."

Spike pauses a bit then spoke up, "Princess, Grandpa, do you think that after all hes done, there was still some good left inside of Lorcan?"

The dragon pauses a bit then hug his grandson, bonding some more. The old dragon senses the events of what happened between Spike & Lorcan's last moment, but also senses the older sibling's essence, but more pure, and that it felt...like Lorcan was not truly gone.

Spykoran thus spoke, "That…is for the future to decide, grandson."

Celestia nods while saying, "Right, for now though, let's continue the party. You have a big...experience as far as we know."

Spike nods. Celestia and his grandfather is right. Questions and such such await another time.

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While every pony was celebrating, and enjoying themselves, none took noticed of a shady character hiding in the corner. This person could only be seen by the eyes hiding in the shadows that conceal him so well. This being watched everyone enjoy the moment of their lives, but as he looked past the fun the CMC had with some of the Mane Six showing themselves off & doing other task with their pony pals...one sight caught this figure's attention. There she was, the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, near her was her mother and father, even the girl's older brother, Shining Armor along with his wife, Cadance. They looked so...happy, so carefree; it was only joined from Spike joining in on the fun, laughing with the rest. Just then, the shady eyes of this stalker stared at the baby dragon, and in a flash moment, there existed another being....a young colt that was once the third sibling of the Sparkle family; Starlight? The eyes of this shady figure shook its head to make the image fad away, showing Spike, once more. Then the eyes slip into the darkness, and from a glowy mark above the head, vanished with the shadows by a very well played stealth maneuver that made no sound, or flashy displays to alert his presence.

"Huh?" Nyx ask puzzled as she looks around.

"What's wrong, Nyx?" Apple Bloom asks Nyx, wondering why her alicorn friend looks puzzled.

"I thought I sense something…weird."

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Soon outside of Ponyville, from the shadows of a large boulder, slipped a shady creature that resembled the body of a unicorn pony/ Soon a bit of the light from the sun ray' ray passing through a cloud( that helped reveal who this unidentified creature was. He appears to bean unicorn in a dark mask and uniform with a symbol of Tartarus on his front, appears to be the same age as Twilight and has a physically built body. His mane and tail are both short; he has a cold expression and is wearing a belt that has a gun on him. The unicorn looks...familiar. Soon, he reached up to show a strange pocket watch that when opened, revealed a mirror above the clock that glowed a bright light of magical sense, but not too bright to expose where this character hides. Then in another strange sense, the background music called: 'Remains of Sadness' by Megumi Ohashi, was playing that was very much fitting this glooms-ville of a scene of unpleasantness of a feeling we are sensing here.

"Status report, Unit Number 13," A voice came out of the mirror light of the pocket watch, it was some high-tech device that was a com-link.

"Yes, I've seen the ponies, and they are just recovering from the battle they all fought in." The one labeled as number 13 responded with a cold expression on his face as his voice was deep like a stallion but spoke without emotion. "While the whereabouts about Lorcan's demise are still far from being legit, the younger brother, Spike, is alive." This unit reported the situation that has taken place of the situation here.

"What other news do you have of the situation?" The voice from the other side of the little light from the mirror spoke in wanting other reports and details.

"Not much, only that the remaining dragons that weren't destroyed or turn to stone, have turned over a new leaf, and are about to get judgment from the Dragon Clans...but most likely they will serve to protect Equestria." Number 13 spoke to his superior in stating what has happened to Tadaka's Dragon Army, both those still evil to those that changed to being good. "What should be done with the only surviving members of the Brotherhood of Tadaka?" The unit questioned those from Lorcan's little group army troopers the dragon leader used to get the power he seek before trying to terminate them.

"Let them be, with Discord's soul lost & Boris the Red Devil clearly weakened, they can't be helped." The voice from the mirror responded with a not bothered attitude. "If they truly wish to join us, that's their problem to pick. It would not count as a major loss on our side." This voice exclaimed the state of the remaining members of Lorcan's little club of what would happen to them otherwise was not entirely up to those the unit soldier took orders from.

"What if they choice to side with Equestria; they know Lorcan never kept his agreement, and now those that were persuaded will surely resist siding for our own cause." Number 13 spoke of another stature that those that overheard Lorcan and saw what he did to their clones, will not go to joining evil if it means they'll be killed off, just like that...it's safer being on perhaps the good guys side.

"As I said, it would not be our own lost cause if they perished afterwards." The voice from the mirror responded in stating an emotionless response that the result would not make a difference as they would not feel any lost that's done on their side. "Just watch things from the shadows and report all events and should anyone get in your way....finish them." The superior voice gave this unit on the other end his orders what to do, watch over those in Equestria and if there is a problem...it should be eliminated.

"Hmm..." The unit suddenly hummed to himself with his eyes drifting a bit far from hearing that order.

"Is something wrong?" The voice from the mirror spoke in hearing something going on, what was going on with this soldier?

"No, I just recalled seeing some ponies I once knew, but of course, nothing has changed my opinion of what's happened." Unit Number 13 spoke from readdressing his superior in noting that he saw...those he recalled, but from his still emotionless expression of a stern, hard cold face, he felt...nothing.

"Good, remember who you are, Equestrian Eliminator, and those who you serve." The voice on the other line spoke in addressing the soldier by his true code-phase name.

"I serve as a soldier, a mercenary that will take my assignment, to the letter....and leave no survivors that stand in my way." The Equestrian Eliminator spoke like a real solider, declaring his allegiance to those he works for and the task of his assigned mission objective.

"Good, carry on, and remember....we abide the might of Grimmore's Law!" After that declared proclamation of a declaration speech, the com-link's magic mirror cease glowing, just as it was closed and the pocket watch stuffed back inside the unit's uniform.

"I remember, the will of Grimmore's Law shall be to judge all." The Equestrian Eliminator spoke from turning around to gaze down from Ponyville to Canterlot and above the clouds of Cloudsdale. "Including those that have forsaken me...." This stallion unicorn proclaimed out with a much deeper tone of agony, yet felt much coldness by the voice. "Equestria, you'll soon be unleashing a wrath far worst then Lorcan ever could...and there will be no pity for all those, including your own existence....Twilight Sparkle." The soldier spoke the name of Twilight as if he knows her somewhat so...before slipping away in the shadows by the magical glow of his horn? With that, this unknown stallion of mystery is out of the picture, and just as the music was coming to it's finale closing too. So now, whatever happens with Equestria, even with Twilight Sparkle being the main center once, again....something will come forth from this dark mystery.

Author's Notes:

Spike and Lorcan had bonded before the latter is gone...but who is the Equestrian Eliminator and why is he serving Grimmore? That mystery...is for another time. In the next and final chapter, we see the fate of the Dragon Army, the former members of the Brotherhood of Tadaka and more. Read, review and suggest.