//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Lorcan's Court Trial 
// Story: The Redemption 
// by JusSonic 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2: Lorcan's Court Trial


It was a quiet trip on the train trip back to Ponyville. No one said a word or even do anything but sit there. Twilight did not even speak a word to Lorcan who sat by himself. She is upset and hurt: upset that Lorcan is still alive and Celestia didn't tell her, and hurt that the monster who killed Starlight is back in her filly life.

And now, they are expecting her to forgive him?! Only if Tartarus froze over would that ever happen!

Spike meanwhile sat near his brother, silently. It has been a while since he saw Lorcan. Spike should be happy that he is happy...but is concerned, fearing how the events would turn down. Would Twilight finally forgive him? Knowing what happened in the past before, during and after Lorcan's war, there's no way in Tartarus that may happen anytime soon.

Spike finally spoke to Lorcan, "Lorcan..."

".....yeah?" Lorcan asks Spike after a while of pausing.

"Why didn't you-"

"I didn't think you were ready, bro."

Spike sighs, understanding. Lorcan wasn't ready back then to reveal himself to still be alive...and now? Well, at least Spike is happy, instead of angry that another member of his family is still among the living.

"Well, I'm happy that you're back, Lorcan...though I fear with Twilight's current behavior, that may end shortly." Spike said to Lorcan with a sigh. "But...I'm sure the trial will turn out fine."

Lorcan just scoffs at this as if he was granted a pardon before it's time, "Big bucking deal. With what I did to Ponyville before, I doubt they will ever believe the same thing. I mean, Discord causes chaos and then he was reformed by Fluttershy? It took a disastrous monster like Tirek to get Twilight to warm up to him. What? Do we have to wait for the same thing to happen to me before your "mother" eventually warms up to me too?"

"Hey, come on. Don't be like that, Lorcan! Give Twilight time. I'm sure she could..."

"Spike, just don't...not right now. Wait until the trial's over, then try to comfort me."

Twilight glares at Lorcan talking with Spike. That monster has some nerve to even speak with her son after what he did. Lorcan should've stayed dead! It disgusted her big time.

"Twilight, easy, honey," Ben said, nuzzling his love. To his disappointment, it didn't help at all. "If Lorcan was found guilty, he was too small...no offense to him...and powerless to cause any further trouble like before. The court could give him a simple sentence."

Twilight is heard muttering as if wanting everyone else to do so, "Death penalty if I'm lucky."

Lorcan, with his hood up, baby Dragon size again, glares at Twilight as he snaps, "I'm right here ya know."

"Good!" 

"Twilight...please." Ben said, pleading to Twilight to stop before she ruined everything, even intentionally. "You're treating him the same way you treated me last year during Winter Wrap-Up. You promised you would follow your heart. You even made that statue for me."

"I said I would follow my heart only if it involved you." Twilight snaps to Ben stubbornly. Lorcan isn't part of her heart, never will be.

"Please, please, let's not argue." Fluttershy said meekly, wanting the fighting to stop. "Uh...please? Can't it wait?"

Twilight frowns but decides to refrain from doing anymore talking. After all, there will be plenty of time of doing so later.

After a few minutes or so, the train finally stops in Ponyville. Everyone got off the train, especially Twilight's group. The princess sighs in irritation as she leads the group. May as well get to City Hall and...

"Everypony, may we have your attention!" Pinkie calls out happily, getting everyone's attention. Lorcan yelps as she removes his hood, revealing his face. "May we introduce..."

"Waaaaaughh……" The crowds scream in terror and were running away from the sight to protect themselves from the dangerous villain who has returned from the grave.

"....Well...no weapons," Lorcan said. "That's a start."

Lorcan ducked to dodge a bullet from Tough Apple.

"Tough Apple; Put 'dat boomstick down,' Applejack scowled at her cousin who is preparing to fire at Lorcan once more.

"Come on, AJ; 'Dat monster 'dat tried 'ta destroy us all is back!" Tough Apple exclaims angrily, preparing to fire, but Applejack knocks it down, "AJ!"

"Everyone," Ben said, giving a glare at Pinkie for ruining things too early. "Gather at the courthouse, we are having a trial today."

"My word," Mayor Mare said with a gasp. She and her colleagues were passing by when they saw this scene...especially Lorcan. "Princess Twilight Sparkle! Please tell me my eyes aren't deceiving me..."

"Yes, unfortunately it is Lorcan, back from the dead...but he won't be staying in Ponyville long." Twilight said grumpily to the mayor, much to Lorcan's annoyance and Spike's concern. Already she's giving him the death sentence! "Just get the trial ready at once!"

"Yes, of course."

"And someone find something to obtain Lorcan! I ain't taking chances."

"Ugh." Lorcan groans as he slaps himself on the forehead. Now this is getting intense, even for him.

As the Mane Six group were moving themselves, they were unaware that Pinkamena seem to be trailing them along with Golden Heart and the rest of their group.

"Twilight seems really angry, but I fear there maybe more to things than what the enemy maybe planning." Pinkamena address the situation in breaking the Fourth Wall here.

"Why's that?" Goldie asked off in what his sister was talking about.

"Can't say, but my Pinkie Senses say something far more evil is about to happen." Pinkamena shrug off to say this in stating what she could sense. "Like for example; them bringing back Lorcan and Spike's evil corruptive father when Lorcan is trying to show he's reformed." She expressed off the case in what the enemy could do during the time.

That surprised Goldie's group in what they heard, and for those that have lived long enough to recall what Tadaka & his army once did 1000 years ago....it can't be anything good.

"Oh man, if that is the case, then the problems are just starting!" Jack Zen exclaimed in finding that sorta theory to be downright bad.

"You don't think that evil Dragon could returned, could he?" Autumn Gem asked nervously in not liking the sounds of where this may be heading.

"If that is the case, then it'll only lead to Twilight's downfall because of her hatred lingering from the lost of her brother!" Sombra regrettably exclaimed the issue in fearing that such things will become worse for Twilight, who holds a grudge against Lorcan in attacking her and her little brother long ago.

"If such means lead to an end, calculations indicate that if Tadaka's return, he'll continue his long urge to destroy all pony life." Omega issued off in recalling form his databanks in knowing what Tadaka would do if he returns, continue his quest to wipe Equestria of all ponies.

"Well luckily, I have a Plan B for the occasion." Pinkamena issued off in having something to help out, as she pulls out a needle with something in it which got the group very puzzled. "I'll simply inject this into Twilight's neck and this will knock her down a notch, causing her to lose all her anger to the point she will cool down enough to be able to listen and forgive Lorcan. At least that way, she can't let her emotions cloud her judgment if such actions develop." She explained the basic planning step in what to do if Tadaka returns, Twilight will be clouded of remembering Lorcan's evil and believe the two will join forces, etc.

"And if that fails to do so?" Goldie asked his sister of what happens if such a step doesn't work.

"Well that's with a lighter dose, if I use the entire needle injection, it'll simply put Twilight to sleep. But the effects will make her see horror-able visions. Like example as such; for if she fails to forgive Lorcan and lets her hatred continue when she should just let it go." Pinkamena explained that last part of what happens if such a case were to be.

That last part seems to give many in Goldie's group quite a shock in having heard that last part, it sounds much worse if Twilight was given a full dosage of that strange injection needle.

"Are you sure you wanna go that far?" Jack Zen questioned the idea that Pinkamena was thinking, at least the light injection of the needle sounded better than a full on injection to lead to such things.

"Well how else will she know before it comes too late?" Pinkamena shrug off to say in quoting that desperate times call for such desperate measures.

Many still had their own doubts of going so far, but they decided to leave what happens...for when the time calls for it. Everyone here will have to be ready for anything as they continue to trail the Mane Six group to assure...things are not gonna go out of control....

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

The Apocalypse Ponies were in the middle of a meeting with Dark Curse attending. They are discussing some ways to break that shield down; So far, no progress from Chase. Of course, they didn't get far when certain Demon Lords appear spiritually...and they look upset for some reason.

"Is there something you wish to tell us?" Tso Lan demanded to the Superior more than he asked.

"No... Nothing is important." The Superior said calmly.

"Hmm... Strange... I could have sworn that... You or Grimmore didn't tell us something that we wish to know." Shendu said with a deep frown as if he's suspecting that his allies are hiding something.

"What do you mean?" Suffocator Jill asks, not liking Shendu's attitude.

"Oh brother, this is going to be like the incident with Boris again." Warring Malice groans a bit, recalling that little incident when she send Boris's goons to the End of Equestria behind her allies' back.

"Who are you to make suspicions of us?!" Fluttercruel demands furiously to the Demon Lords.

Bai Tza begins to hiss furiously, "Stop stalling us! We demand answers now! We demand them now!" 

"Is it true that Lorcan had survived his war?! Has he hidden from us since the aftermath?! Has he helped the Ponies?!" Dai Gui demands to the Apocalypse Ponies.

"What," Trix Lulamoon yelps in shock and disbelief. That monster...the same one who torture her into joining his little Brotherhood is alive?! But she wasn't aware of this!

"Nope; ut isn't true." Liarjack said, looking back while lying as usual.

"We don't know what you're on about either." Psycho Pie said, hanging upside, pondering how her own Demon Lord bonded would taste like cupcakes.

Tchang Zu float away from Psycho Pie, demanding, "Enough lies! Give us answers now!"

The Superior sighed in annoyance, "Very well... It's true... Lorcan had been alive since the aftermath of Dragon War. I was surprise that... You were able to find the truth out."

"Surprise; Try our anger and wrath!" Hsi Wu demands, looking pissed. The Superior has some nerve to keep this a secret from his Demon Lord allies!

Po Kong growled, "Agreed! You dare hide the truth from us?! How many truths are you willing to hide?!"

Xiao Fung snaps angrily, "We agreed to join your brotherhood for our revenge! And so far what we did... is the waste of our time! And we did nothing!" It's true; the Demon Lords are getting fed up with waiting. They want to act now!

"Calm yourself, my dear friends. The time will come. I assure you..." The Superior said, trying to calm the upset Demons down. He feel that they won't do anything to him since their bodies are trapped in the Demon Realm, and only he and Grimmore has the ability to allow them to let the Demon Lords use the Apocalypse Ponies to their advantage.

Dai Gui however interrupts, "Don't bother! We have made our move!"

Tchang Zu nodded his head while adding, "Agreed! We have send Drago and the rest of his Dragon Army to deal with it!"

"You did what?! How dare you?!" The Superior demands, shocked and upset. These Demon Lords went and done this behind his back?! 

Bai Tza hissed as if countering what he's saying, "No! How dare you?! You withhold the truth from us! And you lied to us even more to avoid us learning Lorcan's existence!!"

Shendu hissed in anger, "Lorcan is the Demon Lords' responsibility, not Grimmore! And how dare he claim it was his when he did absolute nothing with it?! We are the ones who help Tadaka and his Dragons fight! We are the ones who gave him the power to defeat them! We are the ones who help Lorcan to start his war! Not this 'Demon God'!"

"Agreed... We became completely weary of it, Superior. Grimmore claimed to be trapped within Tartarus yet he was able to go to another realm and create the Black Hole?!" Tso Lan demands, feeling disgusted that Grimmore was trapped inside Tartarus, yet he almost destroyed the EG world with his Black Hole!

"Either he hides his true power or mere an illusion?!" Bai Tza adds, believing that Grimmore was lying about being trapped the whole time.

"I completely doubt that he hides 'true power' behind his back. A term: laziness is perfect for him." Xiao Fung remarks. He is now half-fully doubtfully that Grimmore was a true threat at all.

Hsi Wu hissed, nodding in agreement, "Agreed. He has the advantages, and he chose to spare them?! It's unbelievable! He can never be better than the previous Demon God; that monstrous-!"

Tchang Zu interrupts Hsi Wu before his fellow Demon Lord would say the name, "Silent, Hsi Wu! Do not speak of his name! I do not wish to hear his than Grimmore's!"

Dai Gui snorted: a bit, "Doesn't matter! We have our mission to complete! Do not interfere, Superior!"

"I'm warning you! Grimmore will-!" The Superior said, knowing that Grimmore will not stand for this treacherous act.

The Superior was interrupted again, this time by Po Kong, "Will what?! Tear us apart?! Take our souls away?! Send us back to the Demon Realm! Don't fool us that easily! If he's truly the mightiest of all, why waste his time for nothing?!

"In fact, we don't want to know his reason." Shendu remarked. He doesn't want to know why Grimmore chose not to do much of anything and let the Demon Lords come out to play. "He wasted enough of our time! We have our own mission to perform!"

Tso Lan nodded while adding, "Indeed... You can try to stop us, Superior. But you need us. I know that... You wish to cover the Equestria into Darkness, and so are we..."

The Superior groaned while slapping a hoof to his forehead, "These Demon Lords! Unbelievable!"

Dark Curse decided to cut in before this incident gets worst to the point of no return, "Allow me; Demon Lords. We are truly sorry for the deception. But rest assured of it, it will not happen again. If you can't trust Grimmore, I can be certain of informing you of some important news."

"Hmm...Very well, Dark Curse. We shall put our trust to you." Tso Lan said thoughtfully. At least Dark Curse would never let him and the other Demon Lords down. "Now if you excuse us, we have our mission to perform; And... If I was reported that Grimmore's Army was sighted in our battles, rest assure... You all will have to answer to me!"

"Rest assure... Grimmore knows what he's doing." The Superior said, cringing a bit. He is not going to be bullied around by these freaks!

"I doubt of it." Bai Tza snort a bit. The Demon Lords' Heads disappeared from sight.

The Superior groaned, "These Demon Lords... They're getting more aggressive and angered than before. Clearly they have no idea what they're doing."

"I assure you, Superior. They're merely angered by your secrets. If you have told them earlier and do not involve Grimmore in their matters, they would have been calm down." Dark Curse points out that the Superior has only himself and Grimmore to blame for not telling the Demon Lords about Lorcan sooner.

"Yes... It was my mistake of angering them..."

"Not you... Him... He should be the one to know what he's doing. Take advice from me. Do not interfere in the Demons Business. That only anger them and even Demon God.'" 

"Good advice... Let's see what these Demon Lords can do. I wonder how they will able to achieve their revenge." The Superior said with a nod. The Demon Lords are up to their limit now. May as well sit back and let them try their hand or hoof.

The Superior will need to speak to Grimmore about this matter of course...

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

Everyone in Ponyville heads into the court house, preparing for the trial of the century. They've heard that Lorcan is alive and will be facing charges for his crimes. Most of them hope for the death sentence of course.

As the Mystic Ponies headed right in, Warpath frowns as he spoke to Blade about this matter, "I'm telling you, brother. I don't trust him. He's up to something. I can feel it."

"Warpath... You must be calm. As far as I know of, Lorcan did some good deeds. Reports had been reported back to the Mystic Council. You mustn't be angry with him." Blade said to Warpath, assuring him that Lorcan did some good since his defeat.

"Have you forgotten of what that bloody Dragon did; He destroyed everything and everypony! He almost killed Brother Virtue when we were at the War of Dragons! And you're going to just forgive him?!"

"Yes, Warpath. And remember, it was Tadaka, not Lorcan. I trust him so much than his father. Lorcan had saved my life a few times, and that includes my expedition against the Water Tiger Kingdom. I owe my life to his. And I am glad to have him back."

Dragonspear nods in agreement, speaking to Warpath as well, "My lord. Always selfless to give someone a chance; And I'm glad you didn't end up at what happened at the Maze of Grave Stones."

"Yes... it was a nightmare." Intellect said grimly, recalling that incident not so well.

Warpath groaned, "I'm telling ya. Your kindness is going to kill you again. This is not the first time you almost got us killed. You'd better hope this buddy of yours really telling the truth."

"I have faith. And trust me, Lorcan will not betray us. I can see his light. There are no lies or darkness within him." Virtue said, confident that Lorcan will show his true self.

"Lord Virtue is right. And I agreed. Lorcan seems to be truthful than before, despite his stubbornness." Intellect said. Lorcan may be stubborn and a bit of a jerk, but he has been proven to be truthful lately.

"I too shall support it." Blade said in agreement, much to Warpath's further frustration.

"As do I, my lord. I too believed in him. He who kept watch on you while I was not there; I am relief to have him on our side." Dragonspear said, giving his full support for the former monster known as Lorcan.

Warpath groaned while rolling his eyes, "That mushy stuff again... Great..."

Now without any moment of delay, we see a new seen that's quite the surprise thing to take up on noticing. Ponyville's own unique Court House that was used to help settle argument cases and suing claims against another pony against certain others depending if they are pony or otherwise. Right now, this was going to be the next to biggest case to take to court in the history of Equestria itself, and why shouldn't it be? For as many ponies were entering the court house, passing a pony statue that was a mare wrapped in a Roman robe, blindfolded while giving the pose of a dignify appearance and held a scale to judge the weight of the guilty and innocent. But inside were nice marvel form window glasses to the sides and above the courtroom. There were seating for the spectators while beyond a wooden gate was two tables used to allow two beings to present their cases. And on the far right side was the jury of the court that consist of 12 members, and in the center was the judge's stand with the gravel and a pad while to it's side was the stand where anyone called to take it, has to present their story about the subject of the case being taken to court. But while we have gotten all of the other stuff out of the way of explaining, the moment has come where the case to court: The Land of Equestria VS Lorcan, the Scarred Ruler!

At this time, we see the Mane Six, along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Phobos, even Ben Mare and Spike were among the audience. As they should be, considering their last connection in going against Lorcan in battle, to witness his day in court is…well, rather shocking to say really.

"Well 'dis place is certainly a noisy spot." Applejack responded off in noticing how much chitter-chatter was filling up the entire room.

"Well yeah! We're in court, and it's busy from what's going on here." Rainbow Dash replied off to her friend in knowing why it's always noisy here.

"Anypony who's anypony is here. It's very busy." Fluttershy spoke from seeing a lot of their friends were here, any from Ponyville, to Cloudsdale and even Canterlot.

"Still, don't they think they could at least made the place more….fashionable, the color decor is so last season." Rarity exclaimed from seeing that the style of this room was not befitting for the times of this day an age.

"Oh! Maybe I can try to help with the repainting job!" Pinkie Pie held up one of her hooves in wanting to be a part of the painting crew.

"Guys, focus here! This is no game." Twilight Sparkle sternly was trying to get her friends to be more serious about this. "We're here cause of who's on trail." Even this pony knows the very reason they are here in the first place.

"Twilight's right you guys. And let’s face it, none of us really expected it to ever come to pass at this point." Ben Mare spoke on Twilight's behalf while knowing that even while they are here, this was one place they didn't expect could happen; and on a particular someone.

"Well gee, seeing that all majorly powerful psycho villains end up never being seen again, you think this was a rare opportunity." Phobos shrug off to mention a case that in these times, it's even rare to give power house villains a day in court, heh, imagine how it be if Tirek was to face judgment, like that be the day.

"Phobos, I really don't think we should mention that about now." Nyx whispered to her friend that at this moment, it's best to not bring up the subject of who's going to be the center of the court.

"Why's that? Oh…cause of Spike." Phobos was about to ask why, but then remembered; it's about Lorcan, Spike's only sibling.

"Gee Spike, think yew'll handle 'dis?" Apple Bloom asked the baby dragon if he could be cool with handling what's about to appear here.

"Yeah, what with your older brother in court," Scootaloo nods in feeling that if she was in Spike's shoes, which he don't wear, she worry about this case too.

"Not to mention, facing the charges?" Sweetie Belle also states how at this time, Lorcan is going to be pressed with some heavy charges from an almost successful invasion.

"Yeah well….I almost wish I couldn't see it." Spike slowly responded in feeling this was becoming too much for him to take in on what's happening. "After all, it's obvious where this will end up being of the court's final decision." He looked away with an expression of sadness and sorrow.

"Really; How come you didn't tell me? What is it? Hugh-hugh, hugh?" Pinkie Pie was asking out in wanting to know, what was it going to be like by the end of this court moment.

"Guilty." The others responded in knowing that, from Lorcan's crimes, the jury & the heavy weighted evidence will be pushing to go against the teen Dragon.

"Oh, that kinda response," Pinkie Pie slowly nods her head with another wave of thought; that does sound bad.

Many watched from some shadowy pony coming out from the left to enter the courtroom and sit up in the judge's stand, "Clank-clank, CLANK!" Then another scene showed a clanking of the gravel hammer of the pad of the judge's stand, "All Rise…For Judge Rhodes!" The announcer stallion spoke in having all ponies in the room pay close attention and respect for their judge that has entered the room. Many saw who Judge Rhodes was an Earth Pony with moderate gamboge color coat, medium gray mane and tail with the former as a spike-short and the latter well groomed, and has light-emerald eyes. His Cutie Mark was that of a brown hammer-scale design model which showed two things on the scale; a black triangle-shaped weight item that read 10 tons and a simple white feather, to represent the weight of truth verse false. In truth, his age was about close to a stallion in his 60s, but he seem very much built to be fit and fine, may have a wrinkle or two on the cheeks, but he brings a motivation of wisdom of handling judgment on cases to be fair, even from petty arguments to criminal or even villain acts of a crime.

Also sitting on the left side of the court where special sittings for those among the other ponies. Such as those that were of Alicorn types, like the Royal Pony Sisters: Princess Celestia and Luna. Golden Heart is there as well, watching with his sister, Autumn Gem, Sombra, Omega, as well as Jack Zen. Truly this was a moment where anypony that wants to see the judgment be pass down on such acts, this was the place to be. While Celestia & even Luna herself were once judges when Nyx received judgment when the once former Cult of Nightmare turned her into the evil they believed would change all into an Eternal Night, but that was from most of the darkness from the old Nightmare Moon that controlled everyone & fooled them into believing such things. But back then, Nyx was reincarnated as a filly before magically becoming Nightmare Moon, and like a filly was lost and confused in her judgment that didn't show much terrible evil other than sealing the Royal Sisters in the Sun & Moon, and after hearing everyone's claims, Nyx's judgment was given to return to being a filly under Twilight's watch. But now it's Lorcan's turn and his acts are far too much that even with Celestia and Luna representing as Royal Judges of view on the matter for the kingdom, the citizens of Ponyville wished to have their own judge that would have no ties with Lorcan, but at least be given fair chance. But seeing how the teen Dragon did acts from the shadows, hurt many ponies, raise an army, freed imprisoned Dragons, and even showed no remorse or holds back to killing his own Brotherhood allies did not bold well.

"Well sister, the fair judge has taken the stand." Luna spoke in noticing that with them included, they have one judge to see more reason from his experience to let other ponies know, they are not going to pull anything when Lorcan is facing serious trails here.

"Yes, he's known to be the most fair and lenient judge, very much like us, since other judges tend to have temperament that's a little more than milder, since they are more strict." Celestia nods to Luna that they want a good, clean, honest judging and as it stands, the Royal Sisters must do things that are right…..even if it means making it harder on the reformed Lorcan. "At least this much, Lorcan will have by far a fair judging of the cases that come in." She spoke with a much quieter tone from her voice, once the judging begins, things will be pretty much strange once they've started.

"Clank-Clank," Soon Judge Rhodes was grabbing his gravel mallet to smack it onto his stand's pad that made much loud noises, "Bailiff? Bring out the suspect being charged." The judge turned to, in a surprise notion, Tough Apple, acting as bailiff for the job, in requesting that the suspect of this trail be brought forth to the crowd.

"At once yer honor," Tough Apple replied off in hearing the request and was getting to it. "Presenting in 'de court, known as da Scarred Ruler an son of da deceased evil 'Dragon. Tadaka, entering fer charges is…Lorcan!" The pony acting as bailiff proclaimed forth in waving towards the entry way for the court to see who shall come forth.

Soon silence filled the air as everypony felt quiet before…the culprit came in wearing magical chains on his ankles, wrist, and his tail that held an iron ball connected to it. Many of the spectators were still frighten to see Lorcan enter the room; some remembered what he did when he appeared with the Brotherhood in their first visit to attack was just an opening. While some felt worried, there were at least those of caution and concerns about the teen Dragon as he sat in the spot to the right while in a coincidence was behind the Mane Six's group.

"Hmmm, and who are presenting against the defendant?" Judge Rhodes rubbed his chin in looking around to see who was going to press charges against Lorcan for his crimes.

"That would be me your honor, Miles Hoofworth!" Spoke a male unicorn pony with a blue coat, and a short grayish mane and tail, and had brown eyes, wearing a red suit with gray vest, white fancy frilly ascoff, a white button shirt, and gray shoes that was known as Miles Hoofsworth as he come into the room. "I'll be speaking on behalf of Equestria VS. Lorcan," The defense lawed pony exclaimed in wanting to be the voice to go against Lorcan for the evil crimes he had committed in his quest of conquest.

There were more stares in seeing that there was now more to see in who would be trying to put Lorcan to spend the rest of his life paying for his evil deeds. Though those of our pony heroes group felt some mix emotions about this, they just had a hard time trying to express it.

"Very well then, and for the defendant's defense," Judge Rhodes nods in what he heard, and now wishes to see who will act as the defense for Lorcan against his crimes.

Now more quiet filled in the room that left many of the ponies that were wanting to watch this action freeze up with a bunch of different expressions. It was almost as if asking them if there was anypony that wanna help 'save' the terrible villain known as Lorcan, the Scarred Ruler. It was ludicrous, who in their right sense of a mind would wanna defend someone or even much give the teen Dragon the benefit of doubt that he deserves a second chance. Celestia and Luna seem to feel worry in seeing their subjects show the actions of rejection towards Lorcan, it was like giving up on someone without the slightest bit of a chance.

"Come now, we can't have a proper courtroom of judgment if the defendant doesn't have anyone, anypony willing to defend him!" Judge Rhodes protest off to wave his left hoof in the air in wanting these ponies to snap out of their foolishness in not even caring to give a proper trail for Lorcan by allowing someone to speak for him.

"Buck that!" The Snobbish Duo exclaims with Maxin Talos growling in approval.

"No way am I defending that ass!" Soarin' exclaims furiously.

"Just declare him guilty already!" Caramel exclaims.

Some of the ponies look confused and concerned as more ponies shouted against even defending Lorcan. Boy, the rowdiness just got ugly!

"CLANK; CLANK; CLANK," All the noises from the crowd was being a bit flushed out by the bashing of the gravel mallet on the judge's stand, "Order! ORDER IN COURT," Judge Rhodes yelled out in wanting silence and order in this court, they can't do much if they can't hear nothing.

"Oh-oh; Can I get an order of PB & J Sandwich, some Potato Chips, an Apple Cider Shake, and a piece of Chocolate Cake to go?" Pinkie Pie was jumping and waving her hooves off in making a strange request in confusing the 'order' subject.

"Make that two cakes! All this courtroom stuff is making me hungry!" Phobos also responded in getting to be in the same lost state that the pink pony was in.

"Seriously you two, this isn't a take-out restaurant." Twilight slapped her forehead in seeing these two act goofy, even in a serious debate works in court.

Things were looking more hectic by the moment, if nothing was gonna be done soon, then the princesses would just get loads among loads of their entire land wanting to have Lorcan be sentence to either imprisonment, exile in Tartarus, or worst….death. Celestia and Luna knew the didn't want the latter part from what happened with Lorcan's father Tadaka with the Dragon Council, but now it's different. Without a functioning courtroom to justify the outcome of all that has happened to Lorcan; the princesses can't show restart to forgive Lorcan, even if he's been seen reformed to them, everyone else doesn't see or wants to believe it.

"Luna, it seems that there is too much hatred towards Lorcan to give him a proper chance to have someone defend him." Celestia whispered this message to her sister in seeing a small riot begin to fold in the court.

"Indeed sister, we would aid our friend, but as royals, it would show favoritism against our subjects and we lose their trust." Luna whispered back in knowing they are really stuck with something they can't seem to dig out of.

"This isn't going to be good, without someone to speak for him; Lorcan will be given harsh judgment without anyone bothering to see he's not the same from before." Celestia quietly noted how that without a fair trail, everyone here that has nothing but bad things about Lorcan's work will give them all acts of terrible punishments to have the Scarred Ruler suffer for. "We're both going to have to answer to our subjects quick responses, but….I suppose only a miracle can help him now, who would aid Lorcan at this hour of need?" The Sun Princess was concern that they have no choice but to give in to the will of their subjects, for going against the land is betray, and the royals are not that, but who can still save Lorcan from another horrid fate?

"It would have to take somepony that doesn't see sense, but seeing how Pinkie Pie isn't a candidate that can help in this case, I had to call in…'him', for the dire matter!" Luna quietly motion to her sister that as this case stands, they need somepony that doesn't think too much about such things, kinda like Pinkie Pie, but more…'differently' than the pink pony.

"Sister, you don't actually mean 'the' him of which from different mystery cases, no matter the cause or state, they'll be solved by such unusual skills." Celestia responded in almost disbelief tone, her younger sister has asked for aid from one pony they are both thinking who can be Lorcan's only hope.

"Yes Celestia, I do, what we need here is…a Detective!" Luna nods with a very assuring tone of her voice as she stated with much clear words that Lorcan's best chance to get by here…was the skills of a shaper detective so the royals got one to help.

"Breakissvhhmmm….." Then without warning of any notice, but got a lot of everyone’s attention was….the scene that something…or SOMEONE, went through to smash right inside from the side window. "A stallion unicorn with pale, light grayish gamboge fur coat, dark grayish gamboge short mane and straight tail, and blue eyes. His body is mainly build for athletically type challenges, strength of muscles to fight in tough fights. He has a Cutie Mark on his flank that looks like a magnifying glass with a detective's hat behind it while an eye is seen from the lens part. He wears a long grayish gamboge color over-coat that's left half open, and has a private eye's hat with a black sash line in the middle, wears a brown inner suit with a light gray shirt inside that with a tan & dark brown with white stripe line tie around his neck. In a strange case of 'Row-Ma-Toe', background music of a jazzy sleuth beat played for a private eye, since this guy, he looks just like a….

"Did somepony call for a detective," Yes, the strange detective stood up after he jumped to roll in the room and stand to point his right hoof in the air in pronouncing that he heard his calling.

"Um excuse me sir, um, not to be rude but…why didn't you just go through the doors behind us?" Fluttershy shyly was wanting to ask, why this pony came through such a bizarre way?

The detective pony approached the Mane Six, stuck his left hoof out to say this… "I'm Detective Dan." Yep, he announced his name while sounding it off a bit awkwardly?

"Darlin, I don't believe that answers the question." Rarity shook her head that this pony didn't answer what he was asked of Fluttershy's question.

"Thank you! I believe there is a serious case situation here." Detective Dan nods his head while pointing to this room in stating what's going on…for the most part.

"Yeah, this is the spot where Lorcan, you know, the Scarred Ruler, is on trial for attempting to conquer and annihilate us ponies." Rainbow Dash pointed out the fact that as it stands, Lorcan is facing the biggest trial of his life.

"I see." Detective Dan slowly nodded in understanding this message, however… "But wait a minute, how do 'you', know so much about this trail case?" He pointed in wanting to know, how Rainbow Dash knew so much already, "Perhaps, 'you' were a part of the crime too." Dan pointed out in making an accusing point in what he seems to believe is going on.

"What!" Rainbow Dash yelped out in surprise, and then there was some dramatic trumpet playing in the background with lots of crowds gasping.

"Oh Dashie, how could you?" Pinkie Pie cried out cried out in distress in feeling sadden to hear this truth.

"Yep, it's always the good ones that gone bad!" Phobos nods with a stern closed eye, arms cross and nodding head reaction to what was happening here.

"Hay wait a second, Rainbow Dash was there caused she was fighting Lorcan!" Scootaloo protest in saying that there was no way her idol was guilty of such a crime related motion, she was a victim.

"Oh for petty sakes, if the princesses think this is a joke bringing in this…Klutz Detective, then we be better off…" One of Celestia's critics was speaking in feeling annoyed that the princess of the sun had to bring such a dope to help Lorcan, and would have spoke more, but….

"Brzizizivm….." Then without warning, Detective Dan had his horn glow that released a jazzer of voltage right on one of Celestia's critics.

"Waugh-Waugh-Wahahahahaaaahhh….." The critic pony was lighting up like a candle and was doing a weird dance motion before falling on the ground, then getting up to lean against something, then fell on the ground afterwards.

"Badmouthing royalty without a permit, not only is it illegal, but 'bad manners' too!" Detective Dan pointed to the critic guy that lied on the floor while the other critics just lean away from what this guy did. "Whelp, I guess that wraps up the case of 'Sticky Kangaroo'." The private eye proclaimed from reflexing his outfit in seeing he's solved this problem with a bizarre name?

"Oh my, I'm not familiar with a kangaroo." Fluttershy responded in never knowing that some poor animal was in such a situation.

"Much less one 'dat is sticky," Apple Bloom rolled her eyes in seeing that any kangaroo being sticky is not something to be seen that often.

"The poor thing," Sweetie Belle spoke in feeling sorry for any kangaroo under such conditions.

"Princess, who exactly is this pony," Twilight looked to Celestia in liking to know, who this Detective Dan pony really was, and why he was doing these…'weird' acts?

"It's as his name is mentioned Twilight, he is Detective Dan." Celestia nods her head down in letting her student know that Dan was a private detective.

"We feared that nopony would want to help defend Lorcan, so we went for the next best thing." Luna stated that from Lorcan's situation, without anyone to help, the royal princesses had to get the one being that could take the case, no matter the act.

"What? Asking this nut-job to help save your boyfriend?" Phobos pointed from Dan to Lorcan in mentioning how the Dragon teen and Luna a have a 'love thing' happening?

"THOU WILL CEASE THE SUBJECT AT ONCE!" Luna bellowed off in the royal commanding voice against the Moon Dragon's annoyance.

"Okay…" Phobos whimpered with a voice weak voice in seeing not to get this princess upset.

"Oh boy," Golden Heart sighs in seeing things are going to get more crazier than they have been.

"Dan is a good pony and a very renown private detective for his skills, he's just….strange in his personality and behavior acts." Celestia explained in the best way possible, in that despite Detective Dan's strange way, he is a good person.

"Mom, Aunt Luna, I know I've never, EVER, doubted any of your decisions before, but…." Ben Mare spoke firstly with an honest opinion, but rubbed the back of his head on this next part. "I'm not sure if this guy is good with a serious deal like this." Even to the adoptive son of Celestia, the stallion can't tell if this renowned detective can truly be of help for the defense, even to someone like Lorcan.

"That's what they all say my fine friend." Detective Dan swung by to rest his left shoulder near Ben Mare. "And by the way, how's that secret hiding place of yours where ya keeping a present for your mare friend going for ya?" The private eye whispered this out, which made Ben almost freeze up.

"Wha," Ben Mare yelped from hearing this and was getting a few eyes staring at him. "What are you talking about? Ugh, I don't have…anything like that!" He tried to lie his way through as his eyes motion that he was hiding something.

"Oh right, like that false book you keep at the top shelf of 'B' Block, line pattern 15, with title 'Hidden Stock' label on it, which….." As Detective Dan was stating these things, from his magic, made a book float out from under his coat, "I found recently with a little of this!" The guy wiggled the book in question which later opened to be a false book with an open center of a nice and priceless hoof jewelry inside.

"Oh my; How lovely," Rarity simply sparkle her eyes in seeing such a nice jewelry.

"Give me that!" Ben snapped from using his magic to take the book to hold it close to him. "How in mom's name did you know any of that?" The stallion asked, this was suppose to be a secret, so how this silly detective find out?

"Eyes and brains my friend, eyes and brains!" Detective Dan pointed out to say what he used that was his answer.

"The eye thing, yeah, but the brains, I'm not sure about." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in finding that answer a somewhat half true motion.

"As I came into town, I saw you snooping back to Ponyville's library, made a double check on your gift before going back to your pals in pretending ya forgot to turn off the stove." Detective Dan explained forth a moment where he saw what Ben was doing, and checked it out and saw the whole thing when the stallion left the library to attend to the court.

"Ben, is that true?" Twilight Sparkle asked her love if he was actually going to give such a nice gift to her as a birthday present.

"I…wanted to surprise you on your next birthday. Guess my secret hiding place wasn't such a good place after all." Ben Mare shrug to sheepishly rub his back neck in seeing his secret surprise to his love was exposed now.

"Its fine, it's the thought that counts." Twilight shook her head with an understanding expression as she didn't mind this at all.

"Well fine howdy-do, 'dis here buckaroo does seem to have some skills after all." Applejack spoke a bit surprised to believe, Detective Dan knows his stuff.

"Thank you cow-pony," Detective Dan pointed in gladly accepting that comment without hesitation.

"Um hello, aren't I on trial here?" Lorcan spoke in getting some attention his way, after all, he's the one being on trial.

"Whoops, almost forgot short stuff was here." Phobos yelped to suddenly see that they forgot all about Lorcan.

"I AM NOT SHORT! I'M BIG BONE, MOON-RUNT!" Lorcan snapped out loud against Phobos for referring to him as small.

"You wanna take this outside!" Phobos snapped off in willing to fight this guy here and now.

"Now, now boys, lets handle this with the most reasonable subject around. Words," Detective Dan held up his two hooves to try and get some reason to be heard to stop this argument. "I'll be taking the case to help save your bacon, Lorcan! Because I'm Detective Dan," The detective pointed to the dragon on the stand in knowing, he'll be taking charge to save his hid.

"Um, okay?" Lorcan slowly responded to such a bizarre and awkward-like claim.

"Alright, if things are now finally settle in right, let’s start the case!" Judge Rhodes spoke from seeing that now everything is in order, time they start this trial here, "Clank!" He whacked his mallet on the stand to get some attention here. "Someone bring out the file of Lorcan's crime rate." The judge issued out that they look over the defendant's recorded record of all the recent acts he's done in the past up to now.

"Allow me your honor!" Detective Dan asked off that he be the one to aid in the case of getting something relating to Lorcan out, "Poof!" Then out of the blue from the stallion's magic landed a file case. "Now let's see the listings of the crimes at hand. WOOH," Just as the guy was picking up the file to look over it, he nearly yelps in what he finds. "This is some serious stuff!" Soon he began to read out a long list, and boy was it some things to be said about the teen Dragon, "Stealing candies from babies; An Heavy Drinker; A Drug Dealer, and oh dear me, Taking secret photos of Princess Luna when she sleeps to sell to high bidders. Oh for shame!" 

"Gaaughhh…." Much of the crowd gasped in hearing all of this and are shocked and appalled in learning of this.

"Oh Lorcan, you poor, sick and twisted of inhuman dragon quantity you," Detective Dan shook his head in not believing some of the things even filed about the guy.

"Um…" Lorcan felt a little unease from all the strange starings, it's one thing from the ponies being afraid, but this new experience was….a little out of whack for him to deal with.

"I always knew you were a sick Dragon Lorcan, but that last stuff is going TOO FAR!" Phobos declared off with a look of feeling like what Lorcan is just a sick and twisted in a whole new level.

"You brainless dolt; that stuff isn't even apart from what ACTUALLY HAPPENED," Lorcan was protesting forth that what was said about him, that stuff is nothing but rubbish.

"Um, detective, what's that file label address to?" Luna spoke from noticing, that underneath the file that the detective had was a name label that the stallion covered up.

"Hugh, oh it's ah…" Detective Dan flip the file to look at the cover, and then suddenly. "WHOOPS! My mistake," The guy yelped to say in seeing what was actually written on the file. "Turns out, this here was label under Screwy Lou, musta magically called up the wrong file." This earned a lot of sweat-drops that this guy made such a mistake like that. "But boy, let me tell you ponies this, when he was arrested, our Moon Princess gave him a piece of her mind." Dan explained off something that when Luna learned of this, the guy named Screwy Lou got served by her.

"Wha…what did aunt Luna do?" Nyx asked the detective in what her sister/aunt did to that suspect.

"Can't say this to a little fillies and colts in the room, it's too degrading," Detective Dan profound off to mention that the details were too terrifying to be spoken. "But let’s say that the poor sap is living his days as a hermit on an island with broken bones, a couple of loose teeth and implanted false ones and a black eye. He won't be getting lucky with the ladies is all I'm saying." The detective just blurted out everything that he wasn't gonna mention, so now everyone knows.

Now the crowd was in utter speechlessness in hearing what their noble princess of the moon would do, if any would to make her upset.

"Wow, and I thought Luna was scary from being Nightmare Moon." Spike responded in never guessing how scary princess Luna could still be at times.

"Gurfhvm…hum….will the culprit approached the bench!" Judge Rhodes cleared his throat to speak to wanting Lorcan to take the stand.

Now later, did Lorcan in chains approach the bench stand, as he sat down, the bailiff; Tough Apple, held up a book while speaking to the former evil dragon teen.

"Okay, now do yew serve tá tell 'de truth; 'De Whole Truth; An Nothin' BUT 'de Truth," Tough Apple asked off in wanting Lorcan's word, that he'll speak only the truth and not lie that maybe used against him.

"Yeah, like I got much choice." Lorcan shrug off his shoulders in seeing, what other choice does he have. After all, the crowds hate him, and so what difference would telling the good honest truth do if they just think he's lying his way through?

"Good enough fer me," Tough Apple shrugs off his shoulders in hearing this before standing away from here.

"Fruvhmm…Breakisvhmm…." Then Dan thrown out the case file that was not of Lorcan's records, which broke another window that the guy wasn't bothered, but others were. "Poofvhmm…" Then with the use of his magic made a new file, this time labeled with Lorcan's name for sure, "Ah here's the right file. It's address to Lorcan." He motions this to the crowd before deciding to open it up. "Okay, so let’s look at the facts."

"Like you haven't already?" Lorcan muttered under his breath in seeing this guy help him start off with the wrong confusion.

"Now it says here, you were brutally raised by your daddy, Tadaka, to kill ponies. Is this true?" Detective Dan reported off in asking if Lorcan's past is very much correct here.

"Yes…" Lorcan responded to this without delay about this first fact about him.

"Good, we're getting somewhere." The private eye detective nods in seeing they are having a nice turn of getting somewhere here. "Now says here, that after an accident, you believed to have lost your mother, then your father was killed for crimes, and lastly believed your only brother was gone, and all this happened to be revolving ponies. Correct?" Detective Dan reported off in recalling the next events that lead up to the point of critical change of certain incidences.

"Yes, that's true." Lorcan nods with a solid expression in responding to the question.

"And did you not spend your time plotting revenge from what dear old dad taught you to hate, going so far to wanting to kill ponies, use blackmail and forceful needs to bring a plot of downfall on them? Do you not deny these facts?" Detective Dan was really digging into the facts in what was going on that made Lorcan do all the acts to the point of his defeat.

"No, they are true." Lorcan shook his head in stating that what was spoken is the truth.

"And from there, you created the Brotherhood, gain followers, even freed your daddy's army form the Void, and where did it all lead to? Haugh," Detective Dan was now asking Lorcan to really see what the whole point of trying to be evil got the teen Dragon in life, "Nothing except to wanting to kill the source of the hatred that's been implanted in your body that all ponies are evil and Dragons can't befriend them; is this much true?" The guy was really good at pushing the teen Dragon's buttons as he was getting to the bottom truth.

"Yes….all of it, it's true." Lorcan admitted willingly to the fact, what was said, is the truth in what he felt back then.

"Then answer me this, was there even a 'spec' of yourself that actually 'wanted' you to not be doing all those things, yet it lead ya nowhere from shades of darkness blocking your thoughts clearly?" Detective Dan was questioning if deep down, there was at least some conscience inside Lorcan that tried to stop the guy from going too far in the evil acts.

"Precisely….in my acts of hatred, I had believed to be who I was." Lorcan spoke forth an answer that seems rather doubtful before speaking a different tune. "But then in a sudden weak moment in the middle of the calamity, I thought to have seen my other side…the side that did not want the acts of evil to be carried off." Many who heard this were either confused or not-gullibly to believe that, but Celestia and Luna seem to believe in him.

"Very good, then this helps make things a lot more clearer." Detective Dan proclaimed off that made a lot of eyes look to this scene in more puzzlement. "Perhaps even fill in the gap of something we may have over-looked." The guy rubbed his chin in seeing they might have passed something that should have been the real source of Lorcan's situation.

"Objection!" Miles professed to the stating of what was happening here with these questions. "The defense cannot make such a claim if the subject, Lorcan, never shown any of it during his reign of conquest!" The opposing lawyer pony protest that if memory serves the citizens right, the teen Dragon never showed such hesitation, therefore, it's a fraud.

"Well who said he didn't try to show it if that little light was too small to be seen by all the darkness surrounding it? Hugh?" Detective Dan asked off against the professing side of Equestria that wanted justice from Lorcan's evil.

"ORDER; ORDER HERE," Judge Rhodes yelled out in wanting the situation here to be under control now.

"Oh, is it time to order again?" Pinkie Pie spoke out with a smile in thinking this time, they can actually order something to eat.

"Again Pinkie, that's not it here." Rainbow Dash sighed in seeing her friend act this way without a clue to the matter at hand.

"Ah doubt she'll learn." Applejack shook her head in feeling their pink friend won't get the idea much.

"Ladies and Gentlemen ponies, the old and the young, the Royal and the Non-Royals," Detective Dan was raising his hooves to gather some attention to be focus on him. "And of course, the Dragons that are here in the court. And even you in the way back, Old Man Jackson!" He pointed to not just Spike, Phobos, and Lorcan, but even some other pony in the far off corner.

"I'm here!" An old voice responded which made many of the crowds look to who the detective was addressing.

"I plea to you; I implore you. I wail for you. I call to you. I demand of you. I request of you. I…." Detective Dan was making a lot of random states to get the crowds to hear him out and would have gone on if….

"JUST GET ON WITH IT," Yelled out one of the critics in wanting this Klutz of a detective to move it along already.

"Yeesh, alright already!" Detective Dan shrug off his shoulders in seeing someponys can't just be patient around here. "I shall aid in defending 'this' Dragon for you all to see, that what we think we know of him…..WE DON'T KNOW SQUAT!" The guy was making a pretty good accusation that while they all seem to be well informed of the matter, in truth, they might not actually know all that is to know about Lorcan.

"Wait? You mean you figured out something about my brother?" Spike responded in hearing this, did this pony figure out something already?

"Well not exactly, but nopony here knows Squat the Abdominal Snowman in the Icy Mountain." Detective Dan suddenly threw everypony for a loop about not having the answer, but a strange reply instead.

This response earned a lot of ponies to do face-faults in actually falling right into that one. All except for maybe the Royal Princess, Golden Heart, and even Ben Mare for the most.

After some moments to recover from what happened, another pony took the stand to tell their story; Applejack. She explained all that had happened while everyone knows, she's a good and honest to truthful pony they ever gonna come across.

"Miss Apple." Miles spoke in addressing the Earth Pony on the stand.

"Please, call me Applejack." Applejack waved off to the pony lawyer here that's more in siding with Equestria against Lorcan.

"Yes, so let’s get your story straight." Miles stated in wanting to know from everything Applejack said is the full issue here. "Lorcan was behind the abduction of your sister and her friends that were apart of the CMC." This pony spent no time to bring off the worst parts of Equestria VS. Lorcan, by bring out the hammer of justice on the worst moments anypony has been through.

"'Dat's about the Sam Hill of it, they told me wha' happened." Applejack nods with a stern face in declaring what was stated now was the right assumption.

"Hm….and they were used as bait to gain the elements. How did you feel?" Miles responded by rubbing the chin part in thinking over how this pony on the stand must have felt by Lorcan's blackmail stunt.

"Well course Ah was mad, Flim and Flam had left us almost traumatized. But Ah can only say 'dat Lorcan was pulling their string!" Applejack spoke with a serious stern motion in being upset from the whole thing, especially with the Flim-Flam Brothers, that did what they did on Lorcan's orders, no doubt.

"Would you like to say anything else to the court?" Miles requested with a serious tone in what else Miss Applejack of the Apple Family cares to fill in.

"Well that about sums up all Ah got to say. Even how he was 'de one that attacked Ponyville's barrier," Applejack rubbed her chin in thinking up anything else to say that she might have left out, but nothing else. "Alright Ah return 'ta mah seat, judge?" She looked up to Judge Rhodes in asking to get back to her friends now.

"That'll be all then from you." Judge Rhodes nods to the mare cow girl that she can go which Applejack nods in appreciating that before setting off. "And now, who else shall take the stand?" He looked around in the courtroom in who else would like to make a protest about Lorcan.

"I call Rainbow Dash to the stand!" Miles pointed off in wanting the renown dare-devil Pegasus to take the stand to be questioned.

No later did Rainbow Dash take the spot of attention as she did the whole tell truth thing routine too before being asked some series of questions.

"Miss Dash? Would you please tell the court you’re most loyal thoughts about Lorcan and what he's done when he started to appear with his plans for takeover?" Miles asked in walking around the next speaker to explain to the court, the recent actions the Scarred Ruler performed when he planned to rule over their land.

"Yeah, first off, when the Brotherhood first arrived, he attacked my friends, and was almost about to waste Twilight, all for wanting to know where Spike was." Rainbow Dash pointed out these facts with a very stern upset face in recalling what Lorcan was doing back in the past.

"Anything else you have to say of the matter?" Miles questioned if there was something else that Rainbow wanted to say to the court about Lorcan.

"Yeah I got some, he did some crazy stuff we were lucky to get out alive!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed off in being very ticked off about the things the teen dragon did to the Mane Six. "Bad enough he tried to start a conquest and brought the Brotherhood in to distract us and cause harm to our homes, Lorcan even harmed our filly friends! He even clawed on poor Scootaloo's face that time while saying I saw her as nothing but a pest." It was clear this pegasus was very upset in knowing what Lorcan did to try and do harm to everypony, and what he did to Rainbow's loyal fan Scootaloo.

"Haaaughh…." Much of the crowds gasped in shocking horror while muttering some words to another. Celestia and Luna were very cautious in seeing that this could turn ugly fast.

"I wish to make another statement!" Rarity spoke from standing from the crowds that earned her a shot at speaking. "Lorcan even tried to and nearly succeeded in breaking my bond with Sweetie Belle about me not caring for her and that I hurt her." What was heard was enough to almost make some folks cry, destroying a bond between family is pure vile and evil wickedness.

"Objection," Detective Dan raised his voice to protest the manners of all these truthful facts while Lorcan saw how this guy tried to help him, but really, everything heard was closer to the truth then anyone can't deny it.

"CLANK-CLANK; CLANK," Judge Rhodes was smacking his gravel on his stand to get some attention over the loud noises, "Order now! Order! I can see that everypony has had some motive of being angry or upset by the acts." The judge was addressing this manner in seeing how much a lot of ponies were hurt by Lorcan's doing.

"Acts nothing; He wanted to kill us!" A critic of Celestia pointed to the dragon teen in chains in propounding how Lorcan wished to kill them all.

"Yeah; yeah; yeah," The other ponies were all agreeing and it was really getting out of hand for even Judge Rhodes was unable to control.

"My subjects; please calm down!" Celestia tried to speak reason to her subjects that were getting to be too hasty, but then….

"BE SILENCE!" Luna gave off the royal command voice that bellowed the entire room until silence fell upon them. "Thank you." The princess of the moon nods in seeing this was settled much easily.

"Moving along, I'll call my own speaker of choice. I call to the stand….the Moon Dragon, Phobos!" Detective Dan spoke off right now, just before he pointed across the room the next person to get on the stand.

There was a sudden dramatic music heard in the background for a short time while we zoom in slowly to the mentioned dragon. "AAAAAHHHHH….." Of course, Phobos reacted this this matter with a scream when he was called.

"Phobos, why are you screaming?" Nyx asked her friend in why he was screaming just now so suddenly.

"It's that dramatic music, it made me felt like screaming like I was under-suspicion of the authorities." Phobos exclaimed off to say in what happened just now was completely caught him by surprise.

"Well, that does make some sense." Fluttershy spoke with some thought in hearing this claim.

No sooner, had Phobos left his spot to take the stand shortly after Rainbow Dash was done. It was time for this Moon Dragon to speak, from having a bit of a connection to the teen Dragon by his father, Tadaka.

"Now Phobos, if that is REALLY your true name." Detective Dan spoke from approaching the moon dragon, but then quickly turn to face Phobos of this claim. And just like before, more dramatic mood themes were heard for the suspense in what this could mean.

"Okay, ya got me, my true name is Booyah, but I like to go by Phobos instead." Phobos shrug off to say in what his 'real' name is, but really liked to be addressed by what Nyx gave him.

"Oh, a wise guy, haugh," Dan responded to seeing pass the funny guy routine to not be taken lightly. "Where were you on the night of 21st exactly 3 weeks ago?" Detective Dan was pointing and coming off strong to ask this question.

"Um, what now," Phobos responded a bit confused, what was this about now?

"Don't interrupt! You pulled a sneaky stunt without being seen, but ya messed up along the way." Detective Dan stated off in telling this to the moon dragon in question here.

"Hugh! I…I'm not following." Phobos responded a bit more puzzled, but seem to look a bit…nervous.

"Don't play games with me! You know what I mean!" Detective Dan issued off that Phobos' stunt of not knowing won't work here. "When I found Ben's little secret, I recently discovered a messy sight at your sleeping area!" The stallion proclaimed which earned some dramatic music tune that made some ponies gasped in surprise.

"So what's the big deal? Phobos does have the tendency to forget about picking up after himself when he leaves a mess." Ben Mare shrug off his shoulders in not following this detective, where was he getting at?

"Would the mess be…THESE," Detective Dan slowly, and then announced out loud before revealing with magic from his coat….some crumbs.

"Gulp! Um, cracker crumbs?" Phobos gulped with some heavy worry as he sweated while pretending to not know what it is this guy really found.

"No! They're cooked made dough, a pinch of cinnamon, and with the definite flavor of…CHOCOLATE!" Detective Dan was stating forth the subject was of a made food substance, and with the tasty ingredients to.

"Chocolate Flavor," Pinkie Pie shouted out loud in shock, this was sounding serious now. "What's he on about Phobos?" The pink pony asked in wanting to know what the little Dragon was hiding.

"I-I-I-I-I-I, um…..I got a really good excuse for all of this. It's…well…" Phobos was starting to look around in seeing all the weird expressions he was getting, he was feeling uncomfy about now.

"CONFESS! You been taking without permission in your own home! Doing these things behind your beloved care-takers backs, what happened to trusting you?" Detective Dan was pointing his hoof down on Phobos so much, that a lot of eyes stared from the stallion's stern face, it was getting crazy until….

"GAAAAAUGH; ALRIGHT! I ADMIT IT! I BEEN TAKING COOKIES FROM TWILIGHT'S COOKIE JAR!" Phobos cracked under pressure to admit a guilt he could no longer hid and just let it out. "I couldn't help it, they were chocolate flavor! MY FAVOR! Ohhhhh, I'M SOOO WEAK AND ASHAMED! Bwaahahahaaahhh…." Then afterwards, the Moon Dragon covered his eyes and rested his head on the stand to weep of his terrible crime of stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

"There, there buddy, it's okay to cry, let it out." Detective Dan soon was patting Phobos's back to let the Moon Dragon cry out in grief.

Now a lot of the crowds were very much puzzled and confessed in what this was about.

"Well…that explains while we were short some cookies." Ben Mare slowly responded in hearing what's been happening at the castle's missing cookie problem.

"And we almost thought it was our pets doing it." Twilight stated this to Ben in thinking the culprit cookie theft was one of the pets, guess they were wrong.

"Oh Phobos," Nyx sighed to shake her head in seeing this had to happen to her friend.

"Boy, hard to say when I see him cry over a little guilt like that." Spike rubbed the back of his head in finding this act of Phobos' guilt a bit…odd.

"Objection; this question is of no relation to Lorcan's crime!" Miles protest in stating what the detective was doing was of no connection to Lorcan's crime.

"Hay; Can ya give the Moon Dragon guy here a minute, he had to clear his guilty conscience before he could be questioned?" Detective Dan protest to hold Phobos in saying he needed a breather; he was admitting guilt to feel more clear now.

"Boy, this detective is really good." Pinkie Pie nods in seeing this stallion of a detective was very good to make Phobos admit the truth of a guilty act.

"More like he's even weirder than you are, Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in seeing this Detective Dan person was even more stranger and more random than the pink pony would ever be…maybe.

"Eeyup, 'dat's a truthful statement." Applejack nods with a clear expression that they can't help but agree to such a term.

"Quite so indeed," Rarity nods with a noble response that this detective was…puzzling, in the least.

"Well, at least he's helping to sort out things we never guess we kept from each other." Fluttershy spoke with having a bit more fate that this detective was doing a good job, despite his behavior. "That is, if that's really okay." She stated this a bit more shyly from feeling she can't just speak out her mind too openingly clear.

"Okay, let’s keep this moving, you okay now bud?" Detective Dan spoke from getting over the issue fast before asking Phobos a question here.

"Yeah, I'm ready to answer the questions." Phobos spoke from wiping his tears and blowing his nose on a rag.

"Good, what can you tell us about the Dragon that was Lorcan's father?" Dan asked off in wanting this Moon Ddragon to start discussing the matter concerning with Lorcan's late father.

"What's there to know? He was a big jerk, a ruthless guy, and he was making us other Dragons see that we should rule and ponies should lie dead before us." Phobos shrugs off his shoulders in stating what he knows from the old tyrant Dragon that wanted to do so much wrong. "In my book, he was bad to the bone." The Moon Dragon issued forth his own state of mind in this manner.

"Then explain this, why were YOU, in that army to begin with?" Detective Dan asked off while pointing that Phobos, was also on the enemy side.

There was a dramatic instrument beat while the camera focused in on the shocked Phobos.

"Wah; Hey come on, I'm innocent here!" Phobos yelped from suddenly being pushed against the wall from being asked about this claim of being on the bad guy's side.

"Don't play dumb, we all know you were a part of that evil army. And yet you're here before Lorcan freed your old jail buddies." Detective Dan pointed off in knowing full well that Phobos was on the Dragons Army of Tadaka before he got out sooner than his old prison buddies.

"Believe me, those other Moon Dragons were not much as far I call "buddies" or "friends"." Phobos exclaimed from finding this statement a bit insulting that he would call any associates from the void his pals. "As for why I was in the army in the first place, it's all a fuzz; Tadaka did something that made us follow his orders to the letter. At least to the point where after a while, my sense of reason came to me." He explained how Tadaka did something that made them obey the wrathful Dragon while the little Moon Dragon later was rehabilitated.

"And yet you saw error when the others didn't, correct?" Detective Dan raised a curious eyebrow in asking how Phobos saw the light while the other Dragons didn't…at the time in the Void.

"Your Honor! The detective is clearly side-tracking the point of this discussion!" Miles stood up to profess this situation that the chat was not getting anywhere.

"Hold your horses, I'm getting to it!" Detective Dan turned around to get this lawyer pony to give him a couple more time, he ain't going to be rushed. "In fact, I'm calling in a liable source witness for mister Phobos here! Come on in Draco!" The guy issued out before yelling up over the ceiling and towards an opened window for 'someone' to enter the scene.

And suddenly coming through a broken window was a long Dragon's neck. Many at first were scared, but then it was only just Draco, the Captain of the Dragons of Equestria. So it seems that the detective even got this guy to appear in court to speak about related issues with Lorcan.

"Sorry for the fuss, this place isn't large enough that I have to stick my neck through this window." Draco nods in being apologetic about the manner of coming into the place where he can't easily fit in because of his huge body.

"Now tell us boys, how close 'were' you to Tadaka?" Detective Dan asked both Phobos and Draco, seeing they were close to Lorcan's father.

"I stood by his side when a part of the army." Draco nods with a serious motion in being close to Tadaka at the time.

"Me, I was in the back, WAAAAAAY Back from the guy." Phobos waved off with a none-caring tone in stating what he did.

"I see, and Tadaka's influence affected you all in a strange motion?" Detective Dan rubbed his chin in walking around the room in thinking these thoughts over.

"Detective, what are you suggesting?" Judge Rhodes asked in being a bit befuddled in what manner of evidence was the detective trying to get from these two Dragons.

"You're honor! It's a clear fact that Tadaka passed down his hateful influence to any Dragons he recruited." Detective Dan professed to the honorable judge to see what Lorcan's father did in his life. "Some of the saps truly opened up their hearts to become evil, others had resistance, but ended up sharing the same state of wanting to kill ponies by some hypnotic command!" The clues were not off, some Dragons became true evil beings while others, were under some spell before waking up from a nightmare. "And as proven by Phobos, he was least exposed that lead to him being the purest of good Dragons to easily leave the void while Lorcan freed the others by his influence over the elements of harmony." The stallion issued how in one case point, any Dragon that wasn't infected to be evil could not be kept imprisoned if Tadaka never made them become fully evil on hating ponies. "By which case, we've pardon the remaining Dragons from his army that weren't turn to dust or stone, and are remaining as good supporters to Equestria's future. In short, we be without a reliable Dragon army if not for this action on Lorcan's part that would have gone bad when the last few new enemies this area faced." The detective was making good claims, that without Lorcan's intention, any Dragons that were once evil in the void wouldn't be here today being good and aiding the ponies.

"Objection," Miles protest out to stand up in disregarding the matter at hand here. "You can't say that as an act of good will when Lorcan wanted those Dragons to kill us!" This pony lawyer knew like everypony else here, that Lorcan wanted the Dragon army to slaughter them.

"OVERRULE! You're comments, pal!" Detective Dan shouted back to point that this guy pony was cutting in on his moment.

"You can't overrule me! That's the judge's job!" Miles protest again that this detective wasn't getting the full picture here.

"Alright, I overrule both of you!" Judge Rhodes snapped off to smack his mallet gravel on the stand before speaking. "Detective, what is the point of this claim?" The judge wants an answer, a clear one at that in what this explanation was all about involving Lorcan's case.

"What I'm saying your honor is that like Phobos, Draco, and even the rest of what was once the Dragon Army of Tadaka was that Lorcan was influenced by his father to carry on his angry raging wrath against ponies!" Detective Dan held up his hooves in professing the matter that Lorcan was nothing but an innocent victim of his father's own blind hatred. "In fact, it makes perfect sense! Everypony gave Spike the benefit of doubt when he learned about his past, and some feared he followed his dad's footsteps, but didn't do it. Lorcan was just as innocent a victim as anybody Tadaka came in contact with to join his side." This was the important fact to seal the deal, anybody could put two and two together that Lorcan was never in control of his evil acts, it was all because of what was forced into him.

"Objection to the claim," Miles spoke once morrow, against the so-called reasons this detective was responding off. "While it's true, Phobos, Draco and his Dragon army were subjected to follow the evil and were pardon because of other situations, there is another fact." Many awaited to hear what this pony siding on Equestria against Lorcan had to say now. "Spike may have been spared of this fate, but Lorcan wasn't so much. Spike was just an egg in Canterlot's care before being given to Twilight Sparkle, that he never underwent such transactions. Lorcan should have opposed the act to the very end, instead, he succumbed to it, and became just as Tadaka was, a ruthless Dragon unleashing his fury on ponies." These were all partial points to side against the fact, while Spike is young and very innocent of doing such evil acts, Lorcan had more will to resist, but couldn't and thus, becoming the monster he was back then.

Now the crowds were really chattering up a storm from hearing so many accusations about who was right and who was wrong. There were many understandable reasons, but there were many facts to go against the others. It was like a war between what is right and what is wrong, the acts of good and evil, innocent and guilty, nobody was getting anywhere fast.

"ORDER; ORDER NOW," Judge Rhodes shouted out against the noisy crowds for being a bit loud over hearing such a mannered statement. "Thank you, cough…." Judge Rhodes thanked the crowd's silence, and coughed to get some attention on him. "Now I'm sure there are still more things to discuss with the case, but for now, will have a half hour recess." The stallion judge issued off that they'll take leave here to calm their nerves about this case that may still take a moment to get done.

"Yeah; Recess," CMC cheered in hearing that word sound good news to them.

"Oh boy, we can play!" Pinkie Pie also cheered in believing what this meant too, however...

"You guys, it's not that kinda recess." Twilight sadly digress the manner of 'recess' was not to go have fun, but to take a break from this court's trial.

"Twilight's right, we're just gonna give everyone time to settle down before they continue." Ben Mare nods in agreeing with Twilight's statement about the manner on what they'll be doing here.

"Not to mention use the restrooms. I can't hold on much longer." Phobos responded from holding his sides in feeling an urge to hurry on out to use the little Dragon's room.

"CLANK; CLANK," More gravel mallet clanking nosies were heard from the judge's handy work, "Half Hour! Finish whatever business you have before we return to continue our case of trail!" Judge Rhodes orders out to all ponies in the room to do away with any needs before they continue the trail about Lorcan.

With this, a lot of ponies were stretching themselves up from where they sat before quickly leaving the room. Even the group of the Mane Six was leaving to get some fresh air to clear their minds over what has happened here. But as Golden Heart stood up to leave, he saw Detective Dan take Lorcan to a room, no doubt to discuss things in how to turn the case. The male Alicorn even saw the concern expressions from Celestia and Luna, they knew very much that Lorcan was a changed Dragon, but not a lot of the citizens are willing to accept it…not without further proof.

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

THE CULPRIT'S HOLDING ROOM.

We see the Royal Guards are standing by a door room that was where the notorious Lorcan, the Scarred Ruler, was being kept in during the court trial's break. And right now, Detective Dan was trying to figure out a way in seeing how they can help make it be that Lorcan, is not a guilty person, but an innocent victim of circumstance. But as usual, the renowned detective was assuring that nothing was lost in this case, no matter how much it seemed hopeless against the odds.

"Well that went pretty well." Detective Dan shrugs off to easily think that display in court wasn't so bad.

"Pretty well; are you blind? They still hate me!" Lorcan raised an eyebrow in hearing such a claim and remarked the idea as a joke.

"Not to worry Lorcan, we got this case in the bag!" Detective Dan proclaimed in not feeling any worry about the situation, not one bit.

"Really, how," Lorcan looked to this pony with a skeptical look in almost finding that claim a bit awkward to believe. "Even if what you said is true, they don't give a manticore's wet back fur about it." The teen Dragon shrug off his shoulders in knowing all too well, no one here give care that he's a changed person now.

"THATS WHERE YOU'RE SADLY MISTAKEN!" Detective Dan hollered out in disagreeing with Lorcan on that subject. "You may see things as a full glass, but I like to see it as half-full!" The detective issued off in how he sees things in another way.

"And how does that help us?" Lorcan raised an eyebrow in what that 'figure of speech' is supposed to do him any good.

"Simple! I'll conduct a little experiment to prove my thesis and help the crowd learn that while they may still fear and dread you, they can be merciful to not let you be guilty." Detective Dan proclaimed off in having a way that, with the right stuff, the experiment will show this teen Dragon is innocent.

"Gee, I wonder how you'll pull that off." Lorcan rolled his eyes in remarking how he'll ever get a break like that. "Celestia and Luna may think you can get me out of this, but I don't know if even you wanted to do this.

"That's precisely why I'm doing this! Cause nopony is giving you the chance you need!" Detective Dan stated forth that with Lorcan's reputation, nobody wanted to help him, even when he's shown to be a changed person. "You and many others may think I'm a Klutz Detective, and maybe it's true, but do I care?" The guy was stating while he shrug off on the center sentence part before daring off in stating how that part on what others think if it really bothers him or not.

"Well…do you?" Lorcan asked with a raised eyebrow in wondering if such a thing bothered this pony.

"Of course I do, I hear it all the time." Detective Dan proclaimed out quickly without delay which earned a sweat-drop from Lorcan, was this pony actually being for real here. "But never-mind about that, the fact is, I learn to live with it. Just as I know you can live with the fact you're not the same as who you once were." The private eye detective renounced off that in any case, Lorcan is no longer the evil he was when he proclaimed to be the Scarred Ruler.

"Hugh, pull that off and I'll really be impressed." Lorcan made a slight chuckle in thinking if such a thing was possible, then he be impressed alright.

"Well for this to work, not only is the experiment I'm gonna do partially dangerous, but we'll need one clue fact that will BLOW everyone's mind away!" Detective Dan declared off in having a way to certainly aid in Lorcan's situation of being in the clean, but 'most' of it is gonna be a very dangerous gamble to play. "And you and me both know it's gonna have to be the pony 'YOU' once had hate for in the past!" The guy pointed one hoof in stating to Lorcan that there was one pony that is gonna have to be apart of this plan to work.

"Twilight; Why her…out of everypony, she holds greater hatred towards me!" Lorcan protests in alarm. Twilight hates him because of what he did to Starlight.

"True, but there's something about what you did to her that I've been hankering to understand since I once took part in the case." Detective Dan stated out in what he wants is for a true understanding that shares a connection between Lorcan and Twilight; a matter of which both have tied fates to. "And the only clues to figure out that mystery, are you two?" The guy pointed out that with both Lorcan and Twilight, he'll solve the case of something that happened in the past. 

"Huuuagh, fate seems very cruel to me." Lorcan huffed off while remarking how it appears that fate is doing this as some sort of punishment.

"Tell me about it." Detective Dan shrug off his shoulders in completely understanding what Lorcan meant by that statement. "Whoops! It's almost show time, let’s get moving!" The guy pretty much yelped when he saw the clock above them read 5 more minutes left until the half hour recess was over.

With that, Detective Dan helped the chained Lorcan get up to leave the room. And they exit out of that room's door where they passed the Royal Guards that wanted to keep anypony out, or from 'someone' inside from trying to make an escape. Either way, the only thing doing for the two, is with the detective helping to save Lorcan from his own crimes after being reformed, now question is; can Detective Dan do such an impossible task. That remains to be seen…IN COURT!

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

BACK IN THE COURTROOM!

With everything settled, the ponies of the room returned to their seats. The Mane Six along with their friends all sat back in their seats, even Celestia and Luna sat back in their own private seats along with Golden Heart with them. Judge Rhodes returned to his spot as acting judge, Tough Apple still acted as the baliff, and those acting as the sides for Equestria against Lorcan and Saving Lorcan are both in their spots. And even the teen Dragon himself was sitting down in the table spot while Detective Dan prepares to stand and make some speech.

"Ponies of the court; Friends, Foes, and even those among us that like to remain hidden." Detective Dan spoke out in addressing everyone here, while earning a few odd stares from the crowd. "And yes, I'm referring to the pony formerly hiding behind the entrance door that came out of a secret dungeon beneath Sugarcube Corner." The stallion exclaimed off to mention this which made Pinkamena yelp in surprise. "Just let me concoct an experiment to aid in my client!"

Then with a will of his glowing horn, Detective Dan made a strange table with a lab-setup appear before the crowds. Everypony and Dragon was impressed by this magical feat, but the next surprise came when the detective was mixing a few potions in bickers and jars with a little levitation magic to speed up the process. While it was a good display of show of magic and science, Dan had completed some things to which it was time for the next step in what he planned to do.

"Now watch as I'm about to prove something that among pony science minds cannot argue with the pure facts of judging if one is truly pure evil or not." Detective Dan exclaimed forth in having something to show, as he reached for something. "Lorcan, stick out your claws." He asked in wanting the client's claws to be held out before him and the crowds.

"Um, okay, I guess." Lorcan responded a bit puzzled in hearing such a request, but decided to not go against the detective's work here.

"Now this may sting, but just try to bare it." Detective Dan spoke off from holding the Dragon teen's claw.

Then the scene shows the twos shadows to which the detective appears to be wielding…a knife shadowy object.

"Gaaugh….." The crowds gasp in watching this act out of quick judgment.

"He's gonna chop off the Dragon's claws!" One random pony exclaimed with panic in seeing the good detective was gonna cut off this Dragon's claws right off.

Then there was some eerie creepy music playing while the shadows of Lorcan and Detective Dan showed the latter wielding his object against the former's shadow. In wasn't looking good, many were covering their eyes to not see the horrors, but then…. On a closer spec, Detective Dan was actually….giving Lorcan's long nail claw fingers a manicure with a file-nail. You can imagine how many ponies did face-faults in seeing it wasn't a deadly horror display, but something just as oddball-like.

"Lorcan, I gotta ask ya, when was the last time you had your claws treated right? They're filthy and dirty, and that's just the starters." Detective Dan stated off in seeing what a mess this guy's clawed nails were.

"Um, honestly…I can't say when. Probably years," Lorcan responded a bit unsure, he's never done something like this before.

"Okay, what is happening here?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow in not believing what is happening here.

"What's it look like, I'm getting samples from my client here." Detective Dan issued from using his magic to let the claw nails fall into a glass jar that levitated by magic. "Okay, now the toes, come on, don't be shy." The guy asked that Lorcan show his toes as he was done with the claws part.

"Well….okay…" Lorcan responded a bit unsure, but he lifted his feet to get the treatment…AND BOY; COULD THEY USE IT!

"Yikes! And we thought his claws could use some work!" Phobos yelped from seeing what a mess this Dragon teen's feet were, when was the last time Lorcan properly trim his toe nails?

"Excuse me mister detective, how is it you know how to do that so profoundly?" Nyx asked in seeing that this odd detective was performing such nice manicure treatments like pros do for aiding mares to look their best from batty saloons.

"Simple little miss, I spent 6 weeks undercover as a beauty therapist to undercover some Fashion group called the Fashionistas that were stealing the latest fashion works back in Manehattan." Detective Dan pronounced forth his answer to Nyx, which the story got a lot of attention. "Course I picked up a few things, so in my line of detective work, you can never have enough skills to know where they might be most useful in." The stallion shrug off that even if he does stuff undercover, you learn to pick up some new skills that can be helpful in any situation.

"Really; you could have a lot of talents than just one?" Scootaloo asked with excitement in liking the sounds of this part of the story.

"Which means if we had so many talents, how would our Cutie Marks look?" Sweetie Belle stated this to her friends in what this could mean for them.

"Ah think it wouldn't matter, we still could do more than what's on our Cutie Mark!" Apple Bloom exclaimed to her friends that even with one true talent, they can go with having a few more.

"Well, I'm actually very surprised, if not for his strange theme of personality; I think the detective could almost give me a manicure." Rarity spoke in almost seeing the good Detective Dan, as a pony that could really give any mare a nice manicure on their hooves.

"There, all done!" Detective Dan responded from finishing up his work on the Dragon teen's toes while having them samples too. "How do ya feel Lorcan?" The guy asked in wanting to know if Lorcan was feeling much better after a manicure.

"Well now, I can say that my toes and my claws don't feel so bad when I twitch them to move. And it's not too painful either, amazing." Lorcan spoke from wiggling his toes and claw fingers, smiling that the uncleanness between them is gone and it actually makes him feel a lot less stressful too.

"Your honor, is this act really necessary?" Miles spoke off against that the client's defense even give such a thing during trial.

"Keep your comments to yourself, I'm not finished yet," Detective Dan snapped at the lawyer pony trying to go against him defending Lorcan. "Now what I hold here is a sample of Lorcan's clippings, we shall say." The guy used his magic to show all the samples of the teen Dragon's clippings.

"Honey, is there a point 'ta showing us Dragon toe nail clippings? Other than disgusting us," Applejack asked off in almost feeling like they wanna throw up from seeing such a disturbing display.

"Yes there is, for they shall be used in an experiment to show you all something!" Detective Dan proclaimed that what he has in mind will show everyone here something surprising.

Next came the interesting part, where the detective used his magic to make a potion in a jar be brought over to him. Then Detective Dan slowly, but surely poured the samples he got from Lorcan into the potion while everyone watched.

"Poofruvhmm…." From a drop of some of Lorcan's clipping samples into the liquid potion, made it poof with smoke before changing. The jar was changed into some pure sparkling liquid that was clear for all to see.

"And there you have it!" Detective exclaimed to all that he has done it, and is showing his stuff on what he's made.

"Have what, detective?" Judge Rhodes asked a bit puzzled in not knowing what this stallion has to show for them.

"In scientific explanation your honor, what I hold here is 'PURE' magical aura substance of a Dragon's soul." Detective Dan

"Say what now?" A random stallion repeated this off in a surprise tone.

"Did he say pure?" A random mare asked off in finding this news very hard to swallow.

"Care to explain that more, Mr. Dan?" Judge Rhodes asked with a curious expression, liking to know more about what has come to be here.

"Yes, I may indeed," Detective Dan profound out to say to the judge here. "You see, this is the powerful substance which makes Dragons all very powerful, and if it's clear to be seen with a flashy sparkle works, that's good. It's only bad if it's showing the opposite." He explained that what he has is PROOF, that if Lorcan was still evil, then they get something that would be blurry. "And for another fact, any Dragon that takes this will show that they don't react to it by becoming evil. It's only with the opposite kind that it could do the trick. Now, which Dragons here want to be the subject?" The guy was now hovering the jar of a mixed brand potion to the only Dragons in the room to try.

"Not me!" Spike waved off his hands against taking a potion made by this weirdo.

"Eew, that's got Lorcan-cooties!" Phobos cringed at the very thought of taking something that had Lorcan's clippings mix in.

"I'm sorry, but…" Draco was holding up one claw in regrettably regretting the offer.

"Aw you big babies," Detective Dan pouted against these dragons being all scared to try this and prove a point to the crowd. "Fortunately, I can use a substitute of the lizard family to aid in this experiment." He exclaimed in having a way to help show this progress while having another subject try the potion. "Hey Dojo, come on out!" The stallion was calling out a name of someone to come and appear to all?

Then without warning, a green lizard slipped out from underneath of Detective Dan's hat. This was clearly the one called Dojo, being a part of the lizard family, and having yellow eyes.

"This here's my little pet pal, Dojo, he's a lizard, so if anything the side-effects from drinking what is surely pure Dragon aura will produce 'positive' results." Detective Dan issued off to the crowd to not worry, as his pal will take the potion jar of what he's prepared. "Down you go buddy!" The stallion stated from levitating the potion to his lizard pet who took the jar glass while he was position on a table.

"Gulp-gulp-gulp…gaaaugh…Burp," Dojo gulped and then burped from finishing that entire potion. But as everyone looked on, nobody saw any changes, no strange side-effects; nothing.

"Nothing’s happening, are you sure about that…?" Ben Mare was about to say that nothing was being seen from the taking of the potion, it may be dull.

"Wait a second!" Detective Dan held up one of his hooves to have the stallion be patient, time will show itself…about now.

Then suddenly at the moment, a strange reaction of magic enveloped the creature before everyone's eyes to watch a change in progress. The body was shaping to be slightly longer, suddenly have a different appearance. Now the green lizard was changed into a strange Chinese Dragon-form creature with no legs, but arms still, yellow eyes and a bit of combed roll scale hair design. Dojo had completely transformed into an entirely new being from just a simple lizard to a small lizard-Dragon of a serpent verity. Now a lot of ponies and even the Royals were amazed by this stunt show of transformation.

"Hugh, an evolutionary step, from lizard to a slithering Chinese Dragon type," Detective Dan spoke from rubbing his chin in finding this show of effects to be very interesting for all ponies interest in science and magic. "And judging by the eyes, and magic aura any of us unicorns can sense, there is no danger." What this guy spoke was true, all unicorns, even Alicorns like Celestia, Luna and Golden Heart felt now wicked evil senses from the magical aura coming off of Dojo.

"Oh please, like we''re expecting some kook and his gecko to prove Lorcan's innocent." Another of Celestia's critics remarked off in not finding this display all to convincing for them to believe.

Of course, that made Dojo snaps before shouting this as if it was an insult to him…with a clear english voice, "GECKO!" Then Dojo transformed to giant Chinese Dragon that took up almost all of the courtroom, came near the critic of Celestia and other followers and said this loudly and in a threatening manner. "Don't…Ever….Call me….A GECKO!" The transformed creature snapped forth in not wanting to be called as such a thing while making all tremble by such a surprise.

"Gulp…yes sir!" The Critic ponies saluted like stone statues in frozen fear before the fearsome Dojo.

This scene really got a lot of ponies to be a bit nervous themselves, now they worry if this changed Dragon from a lizard, now full grown, will be a danger. And boy did the answer came at a strange surprise.

"That's more like it!" Dojo proclaimed with a sly smile, and then without warning, he shrank back to size, surprising everyone in the room. "I mean honestly, does this handsome and devilish face say 'gecko' to anyone? Or anypony at all?" The little Dragon lizard asked off in almost feeling offended by such a statement on his good name.

"Nope, but you sure gave them a surprise." Detective Dan shook his head off while standing near his pal, boy did Dojo give everypony a surprise in what he did. "And it looks like the sample from Lorcan not only proved an evolution step for my pet pal, but he showed restrain from wanting to clobber them critics of Celestia. Thereby proving, there is no evil left in Lorcan." The proud detective held up one hoof in declaring undeniable proof, that the teen Dragon is not his evil self.

This got a lot of ponies' attention to look back to one another in hearing such proof claims. But the Royal Pony Sisters were smiling in secret, looks like this matter was helping their friend out the most.

"Did you see that?" Nyx spoke to her CMC members in what they saw Dojo just did.

"That was amazing from that trick!" Sweetie Belle smiled in stating how what they saw was very interesting indeed.

"I'll say, the way that little Dragon turned into a big one like that!" Scootaloo nods to happily agree, Dojo grew into a large size real easily.

"Yew know, he could be a good supporter 'ta help ponies see 'dat no matter how small we are, we can reach up fer our Cutie Marks." Apple Bloom spoke in thought of an idea in how Dojo there could be a good supporter for their growing groups cause. "Why, he could be perfect as our Dragon mascot fer our growing Cutie Mark Crusaders Group." The small filly of the Apple Family stated an idea that can be helpful to them.

"A mascot; ME," Dojo spoke off from looking to the CMC, overhearing their offer which made him smile. "Dauhaaah, shucks, you kids, you're making me blush." He let off a giggle in feeling bashful in just thinking he'll be a mascot.

"Well I'll be, sounds like you got a sponsor deal Dojo. You've hit the jackpot!" Detective Dan responded with much joy in hearing his pal is offered a spot for mascot.

"I know right. Farewell lizard days, hello stardom!" Dojo nods in finding this little chance in his life has really changed him, from a lizard to a Dragon, and now to be a mascot of an important group order, even if it is for kids.

"Boy, somebody's taking this very well in having attention." Spike rolled his eyes in seeing Dojo really get a little overexcited over such a few small things like this.

"Look who's talking." Phobos responded off in recalling events where Spike once dealt with such matters.

"Hey-hey, Dragon pals, maybe when this is over, I can help fly us off to a private lava spa and have some chats. What do ya say; it'll make you feel like new Dragons." Dojo came between Spike and Phobos as a friend, and wanted to let them get off on good feet terms, even though he has no feet to speak.

"Mister Dan, while I'm amazed by such a display, can we still focus on the case at hand?" Judge Rhodes interrupted this moment to remind the detective that they still have to deal with Lorcan and about the case matter.

"Certainly, I needed to prepare for the step in showing something equally important." Detective Dan nods in understanding while also mentioning the preparations for another important step here.

"And what-prey-tell, would it be to distract the court here from Lorcan's case from your moment?" Miles asked off rather annoyed that the detective will try to stir the court away from bringing Lorcan down for his crimes.

"Well that is…." Detective Dan was about to say, until he looked to something that caught his attention. "HOLY! Are the makeups on the Princesses wearing off?" The detective pointed out in making some huge shock over a matter concerning the princess of the Sun and the Moon.

"WHAAAAA," Many of the ponies yelped at this and looked to Celestia and Luna. The many stares were even making the princesses feel uncomfortable to look to see if the matter was of any serious meaning.

"Sister, is that true of us?" Luna asked in being puzzled by all the unwanted stares.

"I'm not sure. I don't believe so." Celestia spoke from when the sisters looked to each other, seeing nothing wrong.

"You both don't look like your makeup is ruined. I hardly can tell if you do or not." Golden Heart spoke to calm the sisters that nothing was wrong, so why did the detective go and say such a thing?

While everyone was so focus on the subject of the princesses, Detective Dan saw Lorcan was also distracted by what the madness was going on. During which, the detective was approaching the scarred eye, used a scrapper to get off the dried dead scales on Lorcan's cut mark. Of course, after a while of doing so, even this teen Dragon would notice how close he had someone.

"HEEEEY," Lorcan snapped out loudly that broke the attention on the royals to see what Detective Dan was doing who yelped back from the shout.

"No reason to panic, I got it!" Detective Dan held up his hooves while holding a little pile of something he got off Lorcan this time around.

"Got what?" The other ponies asked in not understanding, what this detective was up to?

"Yes, detective, please explain this bizarre stunt you just pulled." Judge Rhodes asked with a very unsure look in where this was all going here.

"It's very simple your honor." Detective Dan spoke forth in having an answer for his reasonings. "As I've explained before, Lorcan was scarred by Tadaka. And scars buried so deep like his are hard to ever recover and they keep in lock a memory." The stallion explained the situation concurring Lorcan, saying the scar on his eye has more value than they realize.

"A memory in a scar," Rainbow Dash responded a bit unsure if such a thing was true, the scar that held memories.

"Sounds mighty unpleasant," Applejack spoke with a stern face in not liking to have such a memory of a wound.

"So while I may have gotten the nail samples, what I needed was dried dead scales of where this teen Dragon was attacked and….by his testament, stated he became evil from when his scar was born." Detective Dan explained off that within the scar mark lied the truth to a beginning that turned Lorcan who was once pure and innocent into a vile and wicked foe.

"Oh my, that does sound serious." Fluttershy yelped to hold her cheeks in fearing for such a thing to have happened.

"Well I for one find this display a little odd myself." Rarity responded off in what she's heard to be very unpleasant indeed.

"Now watch and pay close attention." Detective Dan spoke off from using his magic to bring another jar of a mix liquid potion to be used for another experiment.

Soon the detective drops the dead dry scales from Lorcan's scar eye into another glass with a portion ingredient inside.

"Oh, what's gonna happen here?" Pinkie Pie asked from almost finding this too exciting to see what shall happen next here.

"This is about to show us the truth that 'SOMETHING', that Tadaka did turned his son from not wanting to kill ponies to be evil!" Detective Dan proclaimed that what he's about to show, is the very thing to show everypony, that what shall be the teen Dragon's innocent.

Soon the scales in the mix potion were sizzling to change the entire object a bit…black. The only thing that anypony can see, was that the samples from the scar just made a black smug cloud in the liquid. It just settled there for some moments and…there was no signs of anything unusual about it.

"Um, Dan, I think we were expecting something more…menacing looking?" Dojo spoke to his friend that maybe what they wanted was something to get their attention, however...

"GRAAAAAUUUGGHH….." Suddenly, something roared from within the jar and soon showed crimson red eyes of wickedness and a open red mouth. It looked to be that of a black soul of a creature that was wanting to seek something.

"Waaaughh…" Much of the crowds yelped back in seeing a strange creature, the very thing frighten them.

"Ah hah; Just as I suspected," Detective Dan trumpeted forth in seeing this strange creature, which the detective sealed the jar with a lid to keep whatever is inside from escaping.

"What detective? What did you find? And what is that thing?" Judge Rhodes asked the good detective in what he has uncovered here, and whatever that black smog thing was.

"A creature that could be in a far more elite class than the old legends of Mini-Weres that are said to be shreds of darkness, your honor," Detective Dan proclaimed something that made even the Mane Six, along with Ben Mare freak out in recalling such creatures. The Mini-Weres were those that could turn a pony into a Demon Pony when come into contact, nobody could forget about that. "These things are able to come into existence by nature or someone that can create them by magic. My theory states Lorcan had one of these parasite things implanted in him when dear old dad scarred him for life." The detective announced the theory stating that Lorcan was infected by such an evil parasite coursing into the teen Dragon by the path of the scar in his eye.

"Haaaauughh….." Much of the gasping crowds were far shocker to hear this. Could such a thing have happened that a father would turn his own son into an evil killing machine?

"It's a fact that Tadaka was a powerful Dragon, so coming across understanding such spells was easy for him." Detective Dan label off that Tadaka could have easily created these things to pass off by simple contact with Lorcan, which explains a lot of the matter from what was known to all from the past. "And these creatures are label as…." The stallion was about to tell everyone here what these dangerous creatures were, but….

"Breakishvmm…" Suddnely, a glass breaking sound caught everyone to drop what they were doing. And they saw what was the broken jar that once contacted the terrible spawn creature.

"Augh Dan? I think we got a problem!" Dojo yelped with a cautious face to se; they have a loose creature in the court room.

"Great Moose On Carnal; That glass was supposed to hold it, it's stronger than we thought!" Detective Dan yelped in seeing a real problem on their hands, and tried to warn the crowds. "EVERYPONY WATCH OUT! A VIRUS-BYTE IS ON THE LOOSE!" He yelled out which only seem to make things worse than to alert everyone to be wary?

"A Virus Byte; what are they?" Rarity asked a bit concern over hearing the name of the escape creature while careful looking out for it.

"Talk later, boys in royal suits, whack everything until ya find it!" Detective Dan responded off before suddenly getting the Royal Guards to follow his orders even without Celestia or Luna stopping them?

Then no later were there lots of screaming and loud whacking noises from the guards trying to stab their spears into anything on the floor. Even Detective Dan was checking and pushing ponies out of the way, and the Mane Six had to be careful too that something was loose in the court; the royal princesses were worried for their subjects. Lorcan looked across the room to try and find the creature, but more screaming cut off that resulted in the Pegasus flying out of their seats into the air or against the wall sides. But just then, a strange blob with a tail and four legs with familiar red mouth and eyes stared with glime in spotting something from it's crawling path on the walls. It was moving straight towards a terrified pony that was a familiar yellow pegasus as it reached her mane to slowly reach her face….

"Fluttershy, in your mane; Watch out!" Twilight Sparkle shouted to point at spotting something behind Fluttershy's mane that was against the walls.

"Hsisihh…." Soon the revealed Virus-Byte hissed with a wicked grin in seeing it's newest victim to be.

"Eeeeekk," Fluttershy squealed in horror, and she didn't have time to get away or dodge.

"Slapppedvhhmmm…." Then suddenly, a giant mallet crushed the wall side where Fluttershy stood; but it almost looked like from a certain angle…that her HEAD WAS MISSING.

"Eeeek; you crushed Fluttershy's head into the wall!" Pinkie Pie yelped out in terror, what has the detective gone and done, since he was the one on the end of the mallet.

"What are you talking; it's fine, see for yourself." Detective Dan responded a bit surprised and offended that the ponies believe he hurt Fluttershy, but from removing the mallet….he spoke true. Fluttershy's head was near the wall, wide eyed in what took place with a scared expression while a large crater mark was made with a splattered black goop mess. "Though she looks pale, but she's lucky we flattened the pest before it made contact with her." The guy explained off while the guards helped bring Fluttershy to her friends to help her settle down from what happened to her.

"Detective, what is going on?" Judge Rhodes asked in liking an explanation for what just happened and from the danger no less.

"I'll tell ya what's going on! These creatures are the deadly symbiotic parasite creatures called Virus Bytes. They're rated as top danger threat creatures that when they come into contact with any living thing, sinks into their bodies, and changes them entirely." Detective Dan explained off the major ordeal about the Virus-Bytes and what they can do when making contact with any living organism. "They are like a virus that spreads without warning and not much a struggle against such strong force, gaining control to perform things its host was never capable of doing; For example; this little pony, is she scary, no. Is she a threat, not partially; is she a danger to all of us; course not." The guy was stating these basic facts and for what Fluttershy is NOT known to be, however…. "But just one Virus Byte to infect her, and you can imagine all the kindness and other stuff on Fluttershy here to be 'topsy turvy'. Just try to imagine what she be if she was evil to the extreme." The good detective issued out for all to imagine the twist of what the Pegasus of gentle kindness were to be like; in a backwards way of picturing.

Many ponies took this moment to imagine in their own clouds of thought; what Fluttershy would be like if such a thing happened. Let’s just say that when many recall her kind, gentle, caring, innocent act of her personality, and how she barely would be much of somepony looking for trouble. But when all that change of a Fluttershy shown to be cruel, harmful, uncaring, and show acts of wickedness and vile tension of unholy likes was enough to turn many faces blue, even for ponies with blue coats. And then the clouds burst off in almost feeling too horrified to picture it anymore. That settled it, none of them even dream to picture themselves in such a position, OR Fluttershy for that matter.

"I think the evil Fluttershy almost made me squeal in terror." Phobos yelped with quiering knees in fearing for such a pony like an evil Fluttershy to appear.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Spike nods with much worry and concerns if such a thing were to happen to Fluttershy.

"Trust me, that pony's kindness going vile with evil is something even I can't imagine how it turned out." Lorcan shook his head in knowing full well, an evil born from the good hearted Fluttershy, is something no one wishes to ever see or imagine.

"Right as rain; and let’s face it, if Fluttershy got turn evil, we have ANOTHER tyrant wannabe conqueror like Lorcan was!" Detective Dan announced off the horrible picture that many ponies would rather to avoid coming to face. 

"Ponies of the court, are we really going to believe this?" Miles spoke off in trying to get the others to see what is truly happening here. "This detective is clearly a fool for trying to pull off this even more dangerous stunt by letting such a creature into the court!" The pony that was speaking against the defense for Lorcan issued that the detective here was insufficient in what he's doing.

"Bite your tongue pal, Lorcan's no threat anymore!" Detective Dan snapped at the guy here who's been being a thorn since he's been here.

"How can you be sure?" Miles snapped off to protest that even Lorcan could be fooling them to believe he's changed.

"Because the scar is old and dry when Tadaka put it there for Lorcan, and it ran its course to make him evil; it's nothing more than a mark of where such a parasite virus simply emerged into." Detective Dan issued off to explain that once the deed was done, the mark of where all of Lorcan's unfortunate events lead for him in life has now been there as but a memory for the Dragon. "But after another recent event, that evil was finally weaken when his brother Spike hit him on full blast with the elements, and thereby removing the evil from within completely!" Now this part really got a good spot in where the detective pulled out an ace just in time for that statement to be notified.

Now a lot of ponies were chattering up a storm in what they heard. It was true, that when Spike last took down his brother in a one final showdown that took out all of the evil Dragons in the area, Lorcan seemed weaken and then looked as if released from what binds of evil held over him. Of course, this situation was getting out of hand of what to believe or not, so something had to be done.

"ORDER; ORDER NOW," Judge Rhodes was whacking his gravel mallet on his stand to demand silence before speaking. "Alright, we shall move on to the next part of this case before the final judging of the client Lorcan." He issued out that they'll move onto the next parts of the courtroom here in wanting to hear more about the client before the judging can commence.

Now things began to move on from here after a bit of calming and some cleaning up work. As of right now, Miles was speaking with Spike finally taking the stand to speak his tureen of what happened. Many recalls that on the day Spike fought Lorcan, it was believed to be the older sibling's death, just before Psycho Steel The Destructible went off to perform a Magical Kamikaze stunt that almost succeeded in killing the poor baby Dragon, well technically it did, but then the little guy came back to life by miracle means.

"And is there anything else you wanna say that happened that you feel you can't let it be left out, young Dragon?" Miles spoke in wanting everything Spike has to tell the pony groups about his info.

"Well, there is something that I only spoke with my grandpa King Spykoran the Old." Spike spoke from feeling there is something rather important he only ever spoke with his grandfather. "When I was in-between the place of life and death; the place called limbo…I heard my brother's voice there." The baby Dragon explained that during his time in limbo, he heard Lorcan's voice there; calling to him.

Much of the crowds were whispering in what they heard from Spike. Many recalled such tragic moments and some found it unbelievable that one that was dead could come back, but Spike and Lorcan are the living proof.

"You're saying you heard Lorcan's voice? Well I suppose that is true, at the time, you were both…dead." Miles rubbed the chin in pondering this fact very carefully while knowing that this was a true case of what experience this Dragon has gone through.

"Yes, but some magic…a very unknown type of magic, pulled me back from limbo and my soul return to my body, all healed up. And just in-between when I heard Twilight's voice call to me," Spike spoke in addressing the manner of how something came to him, and helped him return to the world of the living, especially when he heard a familiar voice calling to him too.

"Well young Dragon, that is a miracle of a story." Judge Rhodes spoke awestruck in hearing such a tale of a story from Spike. "Does anypony know of what may have accrued to help a miracle be perform?" The judge looked to anypony in the crowd here that may or may not know what happened that made such an act possible.

"I have your honor." Many of the ponies looked to the princess of the sun when she spoke to earn some attention. "My fellow princess, Twilight Sparkle when she was a student back then, was the last near Spike when we believed him dead at the time." Celestia spoke of the old past event when all thought Spike had passed away. "The necklace she wore, is the Love of Eternal, that creates miracles from one's strongest affection to make such strong magic." She explained the powers that are centered around the necklace Twilight Sparkle owns.

"It is a very rare item, one that was given to Twilight by Ben Mare, which was also what cured him from being a Demon Pony and giving him life once more." Luna spoke next in telling all about how such a necklace helped do such miracle works. "And even more so, seem to have the power to reverse an unusual effect on young Nyx, the question if it's a permeant fix or if she can control such a magic still lies in mystery from the necklace's magic of a miracle." She spoke from holding her chin, that such effects are still unclear for the most part.

"But the real question remains, how was it that Lorcan was suspected to have perished, yet stands before us now; alive and well?" Melissa spoke with a clear stern expression in knowing all too well, that Lorcan was reported decease, yet he's here.

"Well you see, it's…um…" Spike seems hesitated to look away, like he has a secret that he's trying to keep, however...

"It's okay Spike, do not feel shameful to tell them what happened before your return from limbo." Lorcan spoke with a sigh of defeat, saying that his brother can say what had happened that revolves around his suppose return.

"Hugh, alright, here's the other fact." Spike sighed in hearing this, and decided, that he may as well tell now. "Lorcan told me to find his body that was tossed into the Everfree Forest, the one that was supposed to have been a clone when I fought him again during that strange event that took place." The baby Dragon stated that he went off to find and locate where his older brother's body remanded while it hasn't lost a spec of its life.

"Who could forget it? Some unnatural bogey appeared, made you roast your brother that made it look like cake walk." Phobos shrug off his shoulders in just recalling the day many saw the strange new face called, Grimmore, and did he do a number of events of gaining a copy of the Triforce to imposer Spike to what some thought he toasted his own brother Lorcan.

"Phobos," The CMC scolded their friend for bringing up a moment of their lives they all rather forget.

"In any event, I found Lorcan's body after separating myself from everyone else." Spike explained out his situation of what happened, which earned a lot of attention from everyone else. "We chatted for moments since his body…was unable to hold form when whatever darkness he had was making him disappear." This caught a lot more listener's attention as the baby Dragon seems to grip his left fist. "I learned a lot, of what troubles Lorcan had to suffer through is was a sad thing to live by, and then we said our departing farewells, only…." He stopped for a moment to look away with some grief expression on his face.

"Only what, young Dragon; Do not be shy." Judge Rhodes spoke with a calm passion in wanting Spike to not fear to hold back, he should let it out.

"In a way, your honorable judge, sir, I felt somehow, that though Lorcan passed away right there, it felt like I could still hear his voice in the wind, saying he be with me…always." Spike spoke from looking up, and then narrowing his eyes down with a solemn expression of letting off a sorrow face from what took place on that day. He believed Lorcan to be gone for good, but he felt that somehow, his brother would watch him….even from the afterlife.

Now this was affecting some of the sappy members of the court room; and by that, we mean like Pinkie Pie and Phobos that were letting out long tears flow out of their eyes. Even the new creature evolved into a Dragon, Dojo, let off sappy tears and wailed in finding this all too much to bear.

"And indeed he is, but not quite what you picture, I'm certain." Miles shook the head in listening to this while keeping a dexterity on composure appearance. "You may go now." The lawyer pony waved off for Spike to leave the stand of speaking to the court, he's done his part here.

"Hey buddy, can't you feel a little moral support for the baby Dragon; that was a very touchy story." Detective Dan snapped at the lawyer pony for not being as emotionally touched by this soft-hearted story that has made many of them feel like crying.

"Touchy or not, emotions have no place in court. I call for the last witness to take the stand, Twilight Sparkle; The target victim of Lorcan," Miles profound off such a response before calling up the biggest fish catch for anypony to focus on; a critical victim with more connections to Lorcan.

Now a lot of silence filled the air, as Spike left, but only to pass by Twilight, who came pass her assistant, adopted son and friend, along with apart of her family, to take the stand. Now many were silent, even the Royal Princesses stood calm, yet firm in knowing that Twilight has suffered much more greater ordeals from Lorcan's act.

"Now Princess Sparkle, may I address you as such?" Miles spoke to address Twilight, who made a silent nod in not minding the formalities of being called by the last name. "You out of anypony here has seen the acts of Lorcan first hand, or hoof in our case, and what he has done." This lawyer pony against Lorcan knows that from out of any suspect witness to the teen Dragon's terror, this Alicorn mare is the best to present.

"Yes, I have." Twilight nods at the first asked question addressed to her.

"And can you tell us something? Despite what Lorcan's attorney states," Miles spoke off in stating before looking back where Detective Dan and Lorcan are still siting.

"Hey-Hey; I'm a detective!" Detective Dan protest out to mention that attorney is such a thing to say, when he is as he should be noted for; a detective.

"Right, what the detective may have spoken gives many to believe in what has happened to Lorcan, but is he forgiving…?" Miles rolled the eyes in hearing such claims while looking to Twilight as kind if Lorcan is someone…that should even get forgiveness at all.

"Well he's…." Twilight looked away in almost feeling like answering that question is something to fight against the brain logic and the heart logic. The evidence does show a lot for Lorcan needing to be forgiven, but in her heart…that's asking too much.

"Tells us, did this teen Dragon do something to you that you've been seen as his target to ruin your life, all from the misunderstanding that you stole his brother Spike and he believed him to be dead?" Miles spoke in walking in the room in trying to prey out the testament of what Lorcan has done to this unicorn; Twilight, from beginning to past recent events.

"He did indeed do something…something that haunts me to this very day…." Twilight spoke from her eyes narrowing away, as if trying to avoid a painful subject.

"Then speak, what did Lorcan do to you?" Miles waved off a hoof to have this witness speak her mind on what the subject on court has done.

Now many of Twilight's friends stared worried in knowing all too well what their friend would say. The one thing that makes her not want to give forgiveness to Lorcan, even against the evidence that proves even the slightest bit of innocence.

"He killed somepony special to me and my family. My little brother, Starlight," Twilight closed her eyes to express the manner with much sadness, as a little tear slipped between her eyes. "We were both just a colt and filly, just after the event when Ben disappeared…Lorcan came out from hiding and then…." At the last part, the tear dropped from her eye and slippered on the ground, Twilight cease speaking and almost looked ready to break down.

"Easy child, you don't have to say another word, we all know what happened." Judge Rhodes held his hoof up to gently have Twilight settle down, knowing that in any killing case, no one wants to remember such horrible memories.

"Now we know ponies of the court. Despite Lorcan being a victim of all crimes and plans to conquer, he has still done the deed of a murder! That punishment cannot go undone!" Miles spoke in addressing the courtroom and for all ponies to pay close attention of the matter at hand here. "And I believe this is where even the renowned Detective Dan cannot recover from this case." This lawyer pony was very shrew, bringing up Twilight's tragic moment as a no-way to recover or get out of this case.

"You think your hot-stuff pulling out the last ace up the sleeve, I gotta admit, that's a doozy." Detective Dan proclaimed in admitting the truth; nobody, pony or otherwise would ever think there was a way to get out of such a clear case of murder, but he would though. "But you forgot one very important detail. THAT ALONE WON'T CUT IT!" The detective declared off while shouting to protest the manner; stating it won't stop him one bit.

"Waugh….!" Many of the ponies were utterly shock, after hearing such a claim of murder, can Lorcan even be forgiven for such acts?

"Whah; How dare you!" Miles yelped at utter shock and disbelief that the detective was still able to continue, despite this harden proof of guilt. "This pony alone has had the worst experience of her life because of what the monster did to her? He scarred her not of body, but of mind, heart and soul." The lawyer pony pointed to Twilight that out of anyone else here, she had suffered the most in losing a family member by Lorcan's claws.

"Keep your jitter-jaggers to yourself Miles!" Detective Dan snap off to point at the lawyer in not being done yet here. "I'm aware of the case, cause I was a part of it long ago." He pronounced this news that would interest the court and many others.

Now the courtroom really was silent, the Detective Dan was a part of the case of when Starlight Sparkle was murdered and body not found when Lorcan first made his appearance?

"Wait a second, did he just say….?" Rainbow Dash was utterly dumbfounded to believe what they just heard.

"He was a part of Twilight's poor brother being killed long ago?" Rarity spoke in tragic motion in hearing this, yet finding it almost hard to swallow.

"Well Ah'll be, he was investigating dat problem." Applejack ponder the thought with much unknown thought patterns about learning this.

"Oh dear, this is becoming unbearable." Fluttershy quivered from seeing the situation change much rapidly.

"Yeah, what's he gonna pull out next I wonder?" Pinkie Pie replied out in being very curious in how the detective will do something else very surprising.

"Twilight Sparkle, if…." Detective Dan was approaching the unicorn mare on stand, and was about to do his routine, but...

"Yes, yes, I know, it's my real name and you probably know something about a case relating about me." Twilight cut between the detective's words in knowing very well that this pony would have asked the strange questions like he done so far before.

"Do you take me for a fool that doesn't know what he's doing and just wearing this outfit on occasion?" Detective Dan asked off a bizarre question that might have been sarcasm.

"Honestly, the idea crosses my mind a bit?" Twilight rolled her eyes with a little smile in pretty much knowing, such a thing did come to her mind.

"Well then UN-Cross it; Cause I got some news for you that left you in the dark." Detective Dan turned around to point at the mare in stating to have something that left her in the dark of the unknowing.

"What news? I just explained what's happened to me, I don't have anything to hid and remember what happened very clearly." Twilight asked off a bit annoyed that the detective thinks she has left something out of her story, but it's all the truth.

"You're a bright student, we'll give you that, but you've let fear clouds your judgment to dig deeper in recalling the moments that there…lies the truth!" Detective Dan mustered off to exclaim the matter that in a way of addressing it, Twilight has yet to understand the true understanding of what happened on her case.

"The…truth," Twilight repeated a bit awkward and puzzled, what was the detective even saying?

"Yes, as I shall explain it!" Detective Dan held up a hoof to turn to the crowd in making this announcement to them. "When Lorcan was still under the possession of being evil, his good senses were still active to watch and record all the evil events that took into play." He explained that in any event, Lorcan has clear memory of all the stuff he's done.

"And what does that have to do with now?" Twilight raised an eyebrow in wondering, what this pony aiding Lorcan's case, had in mind here?

"Because there's a piece of the puzzle that's left a mystery on this 'so-called' death of Starlight Sparkle," Detective Dan issued forth that there is something that was left in puzzlement to the case of a pony's death. "Which many are wondering; whatever happened to the BODY!" The guy exclaimed that the biggest case, was that despite a death, there was no body; why?

There was a dramatic music play in the background, followed by many gasp by the audience in what they heard. Could the mystery of a unseen body disappearance finally be revealed to them?

"As such, there was something screwy that happened near the sight young Sparkle here leads us to the killing sight." Detective Dan announced off in mentioning this about something happened during the cause of where the killing scene took place. "We searched, but even with magic, we couldn't find where a decease colt's body was because….something 'else' was there, and it cut off our magic from trying to figure out a clue to what happened." The explanation was very strict and very firm, the case of the investigation seems to have led to trouble of something cutting in the work. "But as of right now, there IS a way, to see the act and learn the truth!" The proud detective announced off that without a doubt, he'll show what happened to the murder event of Starlight Sparkle.

"Wait a second, you mean you come across a theory way to learn what happened to the body?" Golden Heart asked a bit stump to believe, has such a thing been discovered to solve this unsolvable mystery?

"Yes, but hopefully it can work despite what we fear is an unknown force trying to conceal the real evidence of the matter." Detective Dan nods while rubbing his chin, the truth is, whatever unknown force was concealing the truth, didn't want anyone else to know, "Dojo! The Memory Link-up Orb, please." The good detective turns to his trusty pet pal to aid him in this matter with a certain item.

"Nrrrrugh, right here," Dojo was seen struggling with his little size, to push a strange looking aqua-color orb with a golden head-band lock around the center.

"Thanks!" The detective spoke from picking up the item before explaining the situation in detail. "This here's an item specially crafted and created to help in case solving work in letting a few folks that were at certain scenes, recall them 'exactly' as much as they can. However, this feature will enhance and help make the memory more clearer than what the subjects believe is right and we'll display a magical particles of light in reliving such a moment in one's own event." By Detective Dan's standard point of view, they'll be able to projectile some form of illusion magic reviewing one's memory.

"So it's like a movie?" Phobos asked off in thinking it was something like that.

"More like a scary movie." Spike stated with an uncomfy feeling that what they'll see is something scary.

"I don't know if I wanna see mommy's brother get killed even if it's only an illusion of lights." Nyx spoke with concerns in feeling that seeing such an event won't be nice for them.

"Yeah, us too," The other CMC responded in agreement, they rather not witness a young colt's death.

"Hugh, but what other choice is there, maybe this is the answer we need to further understand what happened." Ben Mare sighed in knowing they have no choice, this was something to be the only way to aid them in knowing what hidden truth this case was leading to.

After a few moments to set things up, the good detective had done it. Gold headbands were around Twilight and Lorcan's foreheads as they glow shimmer with life while the orb device sat on a table.

"Alright, this here will let what you both remember, be focus in the orb and then play what can be best be known as the true focus of memory." Detective Dan explained the function of the Memory-Link Orb and what it can do to play both the only key-viewers of the colt's murder disappearance mystery.

"Ready to throw the switch at any given, Dan," Dojo signal his good buddy that he's ready to do this at the given moment.

"Alright, are you two ready?" Detective Dan looked between the teen Dragon and Alicorn mare in wanting coronation for this to work.

"Yes." Twilight responded with a serious look in willing to go through.

"I am." Lorcan also responded with the same measures without a second thought.

"Then here goes," Detective Dan stated before signaling the start of this little experiment.

"Brzizivhmmm…Frusvhmm…" Suddenly, the orb was glowing brightly with surges of energy as the headbands on the subjects were focusing very much on one memory in particular. "Qrufruvhmm…." Then without warning, some illuminated lights flashed before swirling particle lights showing the imagines of Twilight as a filly, with her brother Starlight.

"Well it appears you've produced something that isn't dangerous to us now, detective." Miles spoke a biut dryly that as of the other recent moments, this part was not dangerous to one pony's health.

"Keep watching, we're about to get to the important part here." Detective Dan snapped sternly to the lawyer he's been debating with while everypony watched the display magic.

Now the imagery shows Lorcan, they talk, but no words escape from the lips. Then when the young ones were running, Lorcan grabbed the imagine particles that looked like Starlight, raised a claw before a stab scene took place. Many were horrified in seeing this, but Lorcan seems to grim at recalling the moments, and seeing what expression the filly age Twilight saw then...

"Freeze!" Detective Dan shouted out in wanting to freeze this imagine, which Dojo did by pressing a claw to the orb, "Rewind! And then play it in slow motion!" The stallion issued out in what they need to do next here on the display show.

"Detective, what is it? Did you spot something?" Judge Rhodes asked anxiously in not handling this, what did the pony discover?

"Yes, riiiiight….THERE," Detective Dan spoke from watching the display again, but slower now, and then shouted the moment later, "Just as I figured!" The stallion announced off in having solved something that was the key.

"What?" The other crowds asked in being impatient, what could this pony find that was so interesting?

"This colt in the illusion image was stabbed by Dragon claws!" Detective Dan pointed out with Dojo trying to do some strange hand/claw motion on the orb.

"We know THAT!" Phobos groaned off to yell at the detective for clearly pointing out the obvious.

"But apparently, if we take a closer look here…." Detective Dan was about to say this when he got cut.

"Please detective, I rather not see this, even as an illusion." Twilight spoke with her head looking away, the thought of seeing even an illusion of light particles, her little brother's death-blow stab is too much to wanna see.

"You will and cause you know why? Its cause of your fear, that you failed to notice WHERE Lorcan stab, behold!" Detective Dan approached Twilight to point in telling this mare, that she's been avoiding to look close at something because of fear and regret holding her back.

Now catching the attention of all ponies, even Twilight could not resist the urge to ponder what the fuss was; and there it was. Almost instantly, everypony and Dragon in the room fell into complete bewilder silence at the display. The scene of Lorcan's light particle illusion did stab the illusion of Starlight, but the target was not near the vital parts of the heart or the lungs. Instead, it looked to have missed both by an inch; this left everyone in puzzlement, including one pony in particular.

"Wait! That's…that was near…." Twilight was almost too shock and surprised to see what had happened. When she was still a filly, she was too scared and cautious to think the memory through, her brother's stabbing actually was….

"An aim that didn't impact too closely to any internal organs, yep, that's right." Detective Dan spoke forth in returning the focus of the room to him in what they are seeing is the truth at hand here, "Which means that the fact that Lorcan was a murder to kill was 'slightly' off, but then again, if I was a filly, I be too scared to get the right facts straight." The guy pointed out to exclaim this fact, though some found that part of being a 'filly' weird, but never the less, this was astonishing evidence.

"That's amazing, detective!" Luna spoke in being amazed that the detective found this fact from a long past almost forgotten.

"Indeed, it explains a lot." Celestia nods with a serious notation; this proves that what they believed might be near to being Lorcan's clearing.

"When Lorcan stabbed the colt, he didn't die right away." Golden Heart spoke from understanding the evidence clearly that what happened did not result in instant death. "But is this memory true?" He wanted to know very much, if somehow Lorcan, was lying to his own memory since Twilight couldn't do such a thing?

"Please, even you know that I can't lie to my own memories. But still, I did feel a strange sense when I believed to have killed that colt, something made be miss the organs for the fatal death blow." Lorcan explained forth that he could not rewrite his own memories so easily about the event or any other, but there was something that happened then. Perhaps a small resistance of his good light side aided in not killing the colt he had been so confident he killed when blinded by darkness and anger.

"Yes, it was the little bit of your own goodness that helped make you miss the target, but sadly, it musta been the last time you even felt it until around the invasion." Detective Dan responded in agreement while shrugging off his shoulders that afterwards, the good light in Lorcan, never resurfaced until about near his timely appearance for the invasion.

"I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!" Twilight snapped out loudly with a stern expression written on her face.

This made a lot of ponies yelped by the rude reaction that the former known student of Celestia, now current Princess of Friendship made. An outburst like that can be understandable, but in this case, it's hard to say.

"Twilight," Ben Mare spoke from seeing how upset Twilight was looking, and that's concerning him.

"Mommy?" Nyx spoke a bit nervous, the only times her adoptive mother gets this mad is when she's going to transform into a flaming-raging unicorn.

"Even if the memory is telling me the truth, that doesn't explain what happened to my little brother's body!" Twilight exclaimed with an angry look to point to the detective in protesting the fact of what happened to her little brother afterwards. "What did Lorcan ever do to him?" She glared at Lorcan with anger in wanting the dragon to spill his guts on what he had done to her little brother, Starlight.

"In truth…..I was so filled with anger and darkness clouding my acts back then….I don't know." Lorcan sadly regrets to shake his head 'no' in not remembering the event all to well. "I had presumed he died by my claws from my old evil act, but hearing this….is puzzling even to me." The teen Dragon spoke with a curious look, he did not even realized that deep down, his own goodness tried to fight back some acts of his evil that almost came over a limit even for him.

"That's where this next memory should fill in, it's something puzzling us." Detective Dan pointed out in earning some eyes that there was to be shown here than meets the eye about now.

Now the memory display continued with Lorcan's illusion light particles shaking a fist of rage and screeching at seeing the illusion of the filly Twilight escape. But then in-between that from when the body light illusion of Starlight was seen…something began to happen. A black bog was causing some of the display iamge to fizzle out, making it hardening to play the stuff right. Many of the ponies felt worrisome by seeing this, but not as much when the strange black bog seem to cover what looked like….a hand. This hand was reaching for a target, but not Lorcan, but the illusion light that was the body of Starlight, and then….nothing. By the time the weird thing touched that colt's body, the image sizzled out to then show a scene where a younger Detective Dan was with Royal Guards before Dojo decided to pause the display.

"Right there is the proof we need. Something was causing a disturbance in the memory, but it's clear that it was happening mostly around the colt that was passed out." Detective Dan proclaimed out that this is the truth that has left them in the dark in what happened. "By the time it's fixed from what we saw and of Lorcan's leave of absence, just shows me and the Royal Guards looking into the place to not find anything when we reported this to the princess." He stated how there was nothing left of any evidence of where Starlight's body was.

"I remember that day, but from what was told of the situation, it was best left to be that the body disappeared mysteriously." Celestia nods with a serious expression in letting her subjects…know this piece of truth.

"But wait…what does this all mean? Somepony, tell me! I have the right to know!" Twilight was almost lost in confusion and pain, what did this mean…what could it all mean about what happened years ago?

"You don't get this then I'll make it clear." Detective Dan stated this out to the very confused mare about this situation. "Yes, Lorcan stabbed your brother, and yes, he had the urge to kill you. But he didn't do so!" This part was very true, Lorcan did wanted to kill, but the facts remain, he never did do them in the past. "And that was the ONLY kindness he had left to stop him before he no doubt went into hiding to grow in strength to plot his revenge on ponies. But the only clear case at this time, is this…." Many were listening in carefully to hear what was about to be said on this suspensive situation. "The case of Starlight's supposed death may somehow, by a SLIGHT chance out of many, that he maybe, JUST maybe…." But at the moment, some other pony finished his sentence.

"Alive….?" Twilight Sparkle spoke these words out in almost wide-eye discreditably in hearing such a claim. "My brother Starlight may not be dead?" The Alicorn mare was almost seen letting out tears from hearing that in some way, her brother, her littlest sibling who was believed to have perished…may just be alive.

"Detective, I suggest you stop filling this pony with false hope." Miles spoke with the upmost stern expression that had to pop this hopeful situation. "If her brother were alive after surviving from the stabbing he received from Lorcan, then why hasn't he return?" This was a very good question indeed, if the subject known as Starlight, was alive at the time from being stabbed, why isn't he here, even presently?

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW? I just finally crack a case that was once 1/3rds to now 2/3rds to being solved!" Detective Dan protest out loudly while stating that this case of the murder and disappears of Starlight Sparkle has only been unraveled by a little bit? "Whatever happened to Starlight Sparkle, an unknown force came between our search for him, it's a hopeful thing to think he may be alive, even if we have to shove the thought he's dead in the back of our minds." The guy stated that in any event, whatever happened to that colt Starlight is left in puzzlement that he could be anywhere, hopefully so more alive than dead after he left the scene.

Hearing this made Twilight snap a bit more into reality, and rubbed her tears away. Suddenly recalling that it may be possible that, Starlight managed to get away a bit, but what if he decided from a later portion when he was injured and needed medical treatment? As for 'who or what' that black bog stuff was that came near the illusion of her little brother's body was another thing left to question.

"CLANK-CLANK-CLANKVHMMM…." Then as all the ponies were in loud chatters to discuss this, the judge's gravel smacking noise snaps them out of it, "ALRIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH! I'll have order in my court here as of now!" Judge Rhodes declared off that he'll havoc silence here in his own court. "With all the evidence piled up in what we shall find of Lorcan will be in ten minutes." He announced the results for the client to be charged for his crimes, etc., will take place from all the evidences that were brought forth.

With that, the act was to be prepared with the secret jury members going into the back room with the judge and the Royal Sisters attending to hear the final decisions. After the ten minutes were up, they all came out, retook their seats before finally, the time of Lorcan's judgment had now arrived.

"The secret jury members, who's faces are to be left unseen by our viewing glass, has come to a verdict with me." Judge Rhodes spoke from everypony in the room looked to see the jury that ever since the beginning, have been kept in hidden view of their faces, to make sure that they are not to be questioned or recognized in what decision has been made. "Princesses, I'm certain you shall follow the act on what shall be passed down to the candidate." The honorable judge looked to Celestia and Luna in knowing what these two sisters shall do next.

"Yes, honorable judge." Both princesses nodded in agreement, once the judgement has been pass, they will also follow with their own.

"Then this case in what we; the ponies of Equestria, find of the evidence piled here on siding with or against him has been notified and judged with the most careful concerning minds we have to pass off our decision." "And as of right now, the verdict; Lorcan, is hereby found…."

There was a long pause, everyone was anxious to know two things; guilty or innocent. It was the big moment, would Lorcan get what he deserves or not, was the question.

"PARDON; BY UNDER AGE RULING," Judge Rhodes opened his eyes in shouting out loud that the defendant is innocent, and by a strange means!

"WHAAAT," A lot of the ponies had almost lost their senses or were in utter disarray when they heard this? Lorcan is not guilty, and he is pardoned; UNBELIEVABLE!

"Hay judge, what's this about his age?" Phobos asked in looking a bit awkward in hearing such a claim.

"We have looked at the age of Lorcan, and according to Dragon law, the age he's at is considered by the number of still being a teenager. Therefore, he is not of the age of an adult!" Judge Rhodes explained the matter that it's by the law they stand for when dealing charges with young to adult creatures, and how Dragons hold their own law of what is the age of adulthood.

"Hugh, to think being 15 would help me out." Lorcan responded puzzled in hearing that it's cause of his young age, he's not facing the bigger trail threats of his acts.

"But as such for the cases that made him do acts were signs of being infected by a dangerous drug-base substance by a Virus-Byte, and the acts are not of his own," Judge Rhodes spoke that Lorcan was being effected by a terrible illness that controlled his thoughts and acts that make him unaware of his own surroundings. "However, to repent for the acts he's pulled, he'll be put under community service for the lasting to repay his debt of his misbehaving acts." The judge issued forth that Lorcan will do time, but not in jail, he'll be doing community service in aiding in whatever task he's given to repay the trouble he has still caused. "And by the royal standards, the princesses of the sun and moon shall announce when Lorcan has redeem his service of his crimes to live out his life as a free man, or Dragon in this case." The honorable Judge Rhodes decreed out that Lorcan shall receive his parting of sentence from the princesses themselves.

"You have our word honorable judge, we shall observe Lorcan's act." Luna spoke of density to the judge that she and her sister, shall see to of what has been given to the teen dragon.

"And that with his evil no longer within him, he'll truly begin a new life to aid all areas he's done harm to." Celestia spoke in dignified tone that both royals shall see that Lorcan is upholding what he has brought down to repair all harm and damages by his wrong-doing.

"Very well," The noble judge nods his head to Celestia and Luna before looking to the crowd. "CLANKVHMM..." Then with one mighty whack of the mallet gravel on the stand, made this statement. "CASE DEMISS! You may all go home!" Judge Rhodes declared off that this case was over and that everypony is free to leave to return to their daily activities.

Now this was something many were not sure of finding to agree to all so fast now. After all the trouble one teen Dragon caused from being led astray, bringing in a group of crooks, aligning with Diamond Dog soldiers operating heavy machinery to attack them, and freeing imprisoned Dragons that almost spelt their end has been pardoned. At this moment, Lorcan's chains were removed from what binds him to be under-locked and key, to at least not be treated too much like a prisoner.

"Hugh, I'm amazed I managed to not be sentence to death here!" Lorcan exclaimed off from feeling his wrist free of chains, amazed by the fact, he wasn't gonna be killed for his crimes.

"It was fortunate that we managed to bring forth a detective you owe your life saving to, and of a pony, no less." Luna came near the friend she and her sister knew so much from the past, and that Lorcan is saved from his darken past…for the moment.

"Yes, thank you Detective Dan." Lorcan soon turned to thank the detective that risked so much to help save him.

"Hey, what about my aid," Dojo shivered up Dan's neck to rest on the shoulders, asking where his thanks was a bit rudely.

"And you too Dojo. I'll not forget this." Lorcan rolled his eyes in seeing this, much shrug off the shoulders in not minding this one bit.

"Ah go on, you're a free Dragon, just don't go burning down castles and pillaging towns, kay?" Detective Dan waved off to let this teen Dragon know it's cool as long as he doesn't do any more bad things to get into trouble.

"Believe me, I'm not like most fairy tale Dragons." Lorcan made a half-made smile in finding himself being paired by old tales are a little farfetched.

"Come Lorcan, we'll have much to discuss about your community sentence charges." Luna spoke from spreading one of her wings to invite Lorcan to come with her to go somewhere to start doing his work sentence.

"Hugh, well, I suppose whatever they are, I'll have to handle them." Lorcan sigh to shrug off his shoulders in seeing, he'll be doing some labor work to wean his new way of living now.

Soon Lorcan and Princess Luna left down one of the hallways that were opened while some of Luna's guards followed behind them. Now at this time, Celestia was over near the Mane Six, the CMC, Phobos and Ben Mare along with Golden Heart.

"Princess, 'dis here is somethin' we just can't find alright." Applejack spoke a bit optimistic about this whole thing that's gone on.

"While we know that Lorcan has been through much, still, it's…" Rarity was trying to find the right words to say, however...

"It's too risky that you want him to be scoot free like this." Rainbow Dash waved out her hooves in finding that Lorcan being free to do whatever he likes was too risky.

"Rest assure my little ponies, we have all things well under-control." Celestia held up one hoof to try to calm those here that are overly concern.

"You do?" Fluttershy asked with a curious ponder of such a matter.

"You think the princess of the sun would just let the most dangerous Dragon next to Tadaka get off like this without a plan." Golden Heart rolled his eyes in seeing this ponies didn't expect they let off a dangerous creature without first having a plan to help see the progress, right?

"Then what's the plan?" Phobos asked in becoming very interested in wanting to hear this.

"Oh yes! Tell us, tell us!" Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down in liking to know this too?

"It is just as the sentence Lorcan received, he'll be aiding to make amends." Celestia spoke in decreeing that Lorcan has been given his sentence to aid in the damages that have caused harm to ponies all around, "Which means, he'll be helping right wrongs, and helping ponies in Equestria." This was the fair and noble sentence to give even an old former enemy a new second chance.

"Celestia, is this still wise?" Twilight asked in feeling still much concerns over what is taking place here.

"Mommy, I know you find what has happened very overwhelming, but we should give one fellow being another a chance, right? Isn't that what good-hearted ponies do?" Nyx spoke off in not understanding why her mother doesn't see, that they should give Lorcan the benefit of doubt that he's changed.

"Our daughter's right Twilight, even with Lorcan, the evidence showed much to clear his case, just to get a community sentence." Ben Mare shrugs off his shoulders in seeing that from all the stuff they have seen, Lorcan has gotten a fair judgment to serve out.

"It's still hard 'ta believe it happened." Apple Bloom spoke in finding what happened to have actually happened.

"Yeah, I was sure he gets the book." Scootaloo rubbed her head in finding this event all very strange.

"But would they have thrown it?" Sweetie Belle asked a bit puzzled if someone were to throw a book at someone.

"That case has yet to happen, friends!" The voice of Detective Dan spoke when he and Dojo were coming over to join this conversation.

"Detective Dan, my sister and I wish to give you gratitude for aiding what was almost surely a hopeless cause." Celestia spoke with a smile in seeing the humble detective that helped save Lorcan from a fate from where it seem none would defend him.

"No problem, cause I'm Detective Dan, your highness." Detective Dan nods with a appreciative response to bow before his highness.

"Ya, I think they got most of that message Dan." Dojo rolled his eyes to let his pal know that a lot of the ponies here understand this detective and his way of doing things.

"I must be off to make preparations of what active duties Lorcan shall perform." Celestia spoke to the ponies here in what she has to go and start preparing now. "Take care, everypony." The princess of the sun stated to the group here as she knows they shall do fine.

With that, Ceelstia soon took her leave with someof her own royal guards accompany her.

"Well, with Lorcan aside, you were still pretty cool out there Detective." Scootaloo spoke off that despite what happened, the detective was a pretty cool pony out there during the courtroom scene.

"I'll say, you looked like you just wouldn't quit." Sweetie Belle spoke from smiling happily at how determine this stallion unicorn was.

"No matter how much ye should have thrown in dé towel, ye stand firm." Apple Bloom spoke from seeing how much Dan here was not giving up no matter how far push came to shove he was in.

"Well thanks little ones, that mean a lot." Detective Dan smiled to happily take these comments from little ponies before him.

"So when does my mascot job start?" Dojo asked off to the CMC in recalling the discussion of him having a job as a mascot.

"Wait a moment, we have a lot of questions for you." Twilight interrupt the conversation to have a word with the detective here. "A lot of them involve around how you were on the case of what happened to me with Lorcan, yet you were not around until now. Why is that?" What she spoke was true, where was this detective if he was at Canterlot during her brother's suppose attacker, and yet Detective Dan was never heard from again.

"Ah, in truth, I was leaving my mark across Equestria, helping to solve cases, and earn a name." Detective Dan announced forth that he was doing some travel work in aiding others from afar. "Which is my name, you have no idea how many other cases I had the fortune of solving and cracking down the criminal elements. I'm just glad that the one from what happened to you concerning family is almost complete. I could never forget it while it was on my mind as I searched for answers." The guy explained his own story that, while he did solve other cases, he could never forget the case of a missing colt that vanished.

"Really, you never forgotten," Pinkie Pie asked in being surprised to hear this piece of news here.

"Oh sorry, forgot to pay attention to you. What you say?" Detective Dan asked off from breaking off his train of thought when he was being spoken to.

"Boy, dat there fella is a strange one." Tough Apple spoke from coming near the group in overhearing what was going on with the detective.

"Cousin, ye have no idea." Applejack shook her head in knowing anything, this was just more craziness going around.

"Grruuvhmmm…." Suddenly, the sound of something sounding like a mechanical vehicle was making the noise of roaring and then stopping to be pulled over. The sound of opening and closing doors was heard that made everyone in the room go silent to where only the Pegasus members went to check it out.

"Um, excuse me everypony, but there appears to be some mysterious folks coming out of a strange mechanical vehicle." Fluttershy spoke to get the others attention on picking out the open window, where some strange figure groups of unrecognizable folks are coming out of a vehicle.

"Yeah, and it looks like one of those gangster theme type." Rainbow Dash spoke with a puzzled expression in recognizing such outfit look.

"What! Let me see!" Detective Dan spoke from getting in front of the two mares to see this for himself.

"Oh no; this is bad!" Dojo yelped from being on top of Dan's hat to go wide eye in seeing what was below them.

"What on Equestria has gotten into you two? You act like there's trouble coming our way." Rarity responded in not following the weird pattern behind these two.

"It's trouble alright, back in Manehattan, I got a guy to tell me his case of dilemma." Detective Dan issued forth in recalling one case he was one from taking up a client.

"A fella by his name fitting the word 'Pajamas', first name Tony," Dojo spoke from rubbing his beard in recalling the figure was Tony, and last name ended with the word Pajama in it.

"What kinda name is 'Tony Pe-JAM-Ez' anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked a bit skeptical in not believing someone went by such a name.

"He prefer it is to be pronounced 'Pe-JAH-Mez', and this here's serious!" Detective Dan stated to correctly say the name while seeing there is trouble below. "Cause those guys below are the well-known crooks called 'the Al Dente Brothers'. And by the looks of it, they're packing some serious heat!" Hearing that last stuff be heard really got everypony and Dragon here to be very worried.

"You don't me….magical gun fire or dangerous spell casting, do you?" Ben Mare was asking if the mysterious group was carrying such dangerous weaponry, and right after Lorcan's trail in court.

"No, WORST than that!" Detective Dan proclaimed forth that this was far worst, making everypony have a dreaded expression before…he said this. "They've got, dare I say it….MEATBALLS!" The detective announced with the dramatic music being heard in the background to give it that right drama effect.

"Aaaaahhhhh, the horror," Phobos screeched out in almost thinking of the terror of such things.

"We have to getaway before we get into the crossfire!" Pinkie Pie yelped out to cry in realizing the moral dangers.

"Wait a second, how can throwing food be something to fear?" Twilight asked a bit unsure that panicking over this matter was even necessary.

"Trust us! Those brothers use food base as weapons, and the way they are thrown, you be amazed by what damages can be produced!" Dojo sarcastically mentioned how such characters come along and use weird methods to attack others with and it ain't pretty to watch OR feel.

"EVERYPONY DUCK DOWN & TAKE COVER," Detective Dan yelled out to hoof wave to signal that everyone get down, things are about to get real messy here.

Without much sense of logic, everyone got down and took cover. And just in time, for being thrown through the windows of the court, were meatballs that were smacking into things. They hit to knock off books. They hit against the clock above the wall which cracked a glass. The groups still kept to the ground, unaware of the tragic drama taking place. More meatballs were thrown with some knocking over a statue that fell and broke. A lot of the group yelped from seeing more flying meatballs coming, and some knocked over a globe or broke a computer with its keyboards. It was definitely turning into a mad situation as one meatball hit that rolled up a rolled map board. Then another meatball hit the clock over the ceiling that broke the glass and brought it to break apart across the floor.

"This is crazy here!" Phobos proclaimed out from standing up over this whole thing while trying to dodge a few flying meatballs.

"Phobos; Get down!" Nyx tried to warn her friend, but too late as a meatball hit him in the gut.

"Guaawwaghh….It…GOT ME," Phobos clutched his belly while he was appearing to make a drama scene of being heavily wounded before dropping to the ground.

Finally, after all the nonsense of the throwing meatballs settled in, the sound of engines roaring signal…the Al Dente Brothers leave. Everyone got up, a little spell shock over what had just happened here.

"Oh no; Phobos has been hit!" Fluttershy yelped in seeing the Moon Dragon got hit pretty hard, and by a meatball too.

"Ohhh….tell me….tell me…." Phobos spoke with a whimper voice, as everyone closed in to hear his words. "Is it still good to eat?" The guy asked off a very random oddly question out of nowhere.

This earned a lot of sweat-drops from the group in hearing this question from the Moon Dragon that looked almost ready to kick the buckle. Then when Phobos was feeling better, he actually ate the meatball that KO'd him in the gut; unbelievable.

"Oh brother," Spike slapped his forehead in not believing this had actually happened.

"Just be glad those brothers didn't start throwing eggs, or donuts, or worst…the jelly-creme filled donuts." Detective Dan exclaimed forth in stating how it could have been much worse than this.

"Oh say it ain't so!" Pinkie Pie cried out in fear of every picturing such a thing to happen.

"It's so, we're afraid to say." Dojo nods with a blank expression in saying it's very true without any doubt.

"Well 'dat was the craziest thing 'ta happen." Applejack spoke off in finding that sorta event that came out of nowhere weird.

"Well on 'de bright side, nopony is hurt." Apple Bloom spoke in trying to think of the posotivie outlook on things.

"Right, that goes for Dragons, more or less." Scootaloo stated another fact, even if Phobos got hit, he's okay…they think.

"And looky there, those little penguins seem unhurt." Sweetie Belle pointed in noticing some penguin shape figures.

"Penguins Sweetie Belle," Rarity asked a bit doubtful in hearing her sister say something like that out of nowhere.

"She's right, there they are." Nyx nods in agreement, and she and the CMC pointed to the direction they saw the creatures.

True to words, four strange penguins seemed to be waddling off with a sack bag of unknown containment.

"Wow, four little penguins in Equestria, how exciting!" Pinkie Pie responded with a cheery face in seeing something new.

"Wait a second, those birds should be in the arctic region area, and Fluttershy, they aren't yours, are they?" Twilight questioned the sighting of penguins, and asked her animal loving friend if they are hers.

"Why no, but I do wish to help them." Fluttershy shook her head 'no' in saying this while thinking, she wouldn't mind the idea.

"Wait a second; penguins, far from the cold, and four of them?" Detective Dan repeated some of those statements in what he's heard before…. "GREAT CONNOLLY; Everypony step away from them," The detective shouted in panic before cutting between the ponies and Dragons from the penguins.

"What is it now, Detective?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in seeing Dan act weird now suddenly.

"Yeah, what's with the freak out?" Spike nods in liking to know the answer to the weird behavior here.

"Those aren't just your average penguins!" Detective Dan proclaimed to state what they have here are not your run of the mill ordinary penguins. "I've come across them time and again to know they are highly skilled commando trained birds for combat. Don't let their cute looks fool you!" The stallion unicorn was pointing and poking at the males of the group to state that the penguins here are not as defenseless as they appear to be.

"Yer're joking, right? Them feather-things commandos, git outta here?" Tough Apple asked off in finding this statement a little off the topic here.

"Trust us, they musta gotten in while we had the trail." Dojo spoke in exclaiming that what is said is the truth, the penguins are not normal.

The penguins then tried to put off an adorable act, especially one of the more cutter ones of the four.

"Awe, how could such cute little penguins cause any troub-Alhh…." Suddenly when Phobos was about to make a statement when getting closer look at the penguins; it happened.

The penguins suddenly gave the Moon Dragon a karate fin chop in the back of his neck, then a spinning back kick to the head and a belly-bounce maneuver that knocked Phobos off to the ponies. Then one penguin hacked up something to the taller one which looked like a grappler hook. Then from careful aim, shot it out through the open window, they grabbed their sack bags which were full of fish; it was fish-surprise night. Then with a smoke-bomb, covered the scene and they all fired the grappler hook and swung to freedom out the window, and out of sight. Now in many cases, you can imagine the surprise look on any pony's face from witnessing what happened here. 

"Okay, did that just happen?" Rainbow Dash asked off in really trying to deny, what just happened here?

"Fraid so," Applejack nods her head in assuring, what happened, happened alright.

"Phobos, are you alright there?" Nyx came over to check on her friend that was taken down…by penguins.

"Yeah, the only thing that hurts more is my pride." Phobos responded off to Nyx from standing up, thou sore a bit. "Beaten and taken down by penguins, oh the shame will never let me down." The moon dragon weaned and moped off in feeling how this will leave a mark on him for life.

"Well, you were warned." Pinkie Pie pointed out with a cheery side that the moon dragon had a fair warning, he just didn't listen was all.

"Them penguins are clever, and when one of them wears a fake mustache, you won't even recognize the leader." Detective Dan stated to the noted fact that not only can the penguins that foiled the group here are clever, but one of them being the leader catches anyone off with a snazzy mustache disguise.

"You're serious? Is he serious about that fact…with the mustache?" Golden Heart looked to Dojo in wanting an honest answer, that such things about those penguins can't be 'ALL' true, right?

"Yep, he is!" Dojo nods with a dry smile in knowing, it's true, it is no lie, which is a shocker in itself.

"Dojo, looks like things around here are becoming awfully unorthodox." Detective Dan spoke with a serious expression in having some thoughts of what's been going on here. "We better get ourselves a place to stay." The pony exclaimed in believing the situation is calling them to stick around.

"Stay?" The others repeated in hearing this right; is the detective actually planning to….make himself at home here?

"After careful considerations, this area in Ponyville has be the middle spot for troubles near Cloudsdale and Canterlot. And after everything, it's clear what needs to be done." Detective Dan stated out in seeing that many troubles have befallen around this area and all overs, and it's clear to the detective…what has to be done to set the balance straight.

"Do you mean…?" The CMC were about to ask if the detective pony had such plans to stay here, or….

"That's right, I'm moving into Ponyville and opening up a Detective Office! If there's a time, I'll solve the crime!" Detective Dan announced off hand or hoof, that he's gonna live in Ponyville and start a busy to solving crimes and cases.

"Ooooh, catchy tune; In fact, I think I got a new song for it!" Pinkie Pie cheerfully responded from hearing that last stuff said, it had a nifty-rhyme to it.

"Here we go." Rarity rolled her eyes in seeing that her pink friend has just come up with something; probably a theme song of all things.

"If there's time, I'll solve the crime! Wherever You Be, He'll snoop to Me, he'll snoop to you!" Pinkie Pie sang off while moving and dancing around with the number she was doing. "So look out world, he's here to prove, that nothing can't escape his eye, cause…" She paused for the moment before some other pony took the line here.

"I'm Detective Dan!" Detective Dan popped up to hold his right hoof up in declaring his name out for all to remember.

Then there was a last number calling to finish that theme song moment with a grand pause and pose for the moment. The others watched with puzzled faces in how seeing that kinda was awkward, even if it did look a bit okay.

"Okay, let’s go set up our place little buddy." Detective Dan spoke off with a grand smile before calling for his pet pal Dojo, to come along with him.

"Whelp, nice having to meet you folks, hope we can hang real soon now." Dojo gave a little wave salute to the group before shivering up the ground to catch up to his pony pal Dan.

The others watched the two leave, as there was another catchy jazzy tune theme fitting for the detective role as they exit out into the open doorways of the new day. It was definitely strange, even after the theme music faded.

"Well, things in Ponyville look like it'll be a little more rowdy than before." Golden Heart shrug off his shoulders to seeing the detective head off, and he with the others know, it's going to get pretty interesting around here.

"Yep, maybe more so then when Ah first came 'ta town," Tough Apple nods with an understanding expression, he remembered when he came, he made a big commotion, and now with Detective Dan, it'll be something almost like it…the term there is 'almost' though.

"Oh, I also have to throw a welcome party for our new arrival staying with us! And a detective to boot, what a surprise party that'll be," Pinkie Pie spoke off in realizing, she'll have to plan a party to welcome Detective Dan and Dojo too, into their neighborhood, as she is the party planning master.

"If he hasn't figured out what you're planning." Ben Mare rolled his eyes to the pink pony in seeing how she gets that way when wanting new ponies to feel welcome. But then he noticed Twilight looking still grim for some reason. "Twilight, you okay?" He asked from approaching the mare to see if something was upsetting her?

"I'm just thinking. What would happen if that detective was here to help us, all those times, maybe he could have made things easier for us." Twilight Sparkle spoke from thinking that from all the obstacles they had to face, what would happen if they had a real problem solver back than to make it easier?

"True, but you and your friends had to learn stuff without some other pony helping out all the time." Ben Mare shrug off his shoulders in feeling, having Detective Dan back in those times, would have helped, but there would be no lesson learned from such experience.

"I suppose." Twilight nods in understanding her special pony's point of the obvious.

"Hey Twilight, don't worry, we'll get through what's happened here. I know you can." Ben Mare wrapped his hoof around Twilight and gave a smile of wanting the mare to not get so stress over the matter, they'll get by it.

"Hugh, I just you're right Ben, cause right now….the situation with Lorcan still has me on edge." Twilight sighed in half-heartily agreeing to Ben, but even now, with Lorcan now out in the open before them….it's a question of wonder; what will happen next?

Soon the entire scene goes dark after that which leaves many questions to be answered. How will ponies be use to Lorcan being free and among them, is he truly not evil anymore, and what deep mystery holds the possibilities that Twilight's little brother is even alive or not if the teen Dragon didn't kill him when they first met. Not to mention, are things in Ponyville ever gonna be the same again if Detective Dan (and his enlarging Chinese Dragon pal; Dojo) move in to start a detective business to which case solving may take a turn to a new level of craziness. And what about those that came into play, if they are seen again, or if more food throwing will be a threat to watch out for, and to be on the lookout for four penguins with skills they shouldn't have. That and so many others are left in the dark, and may either shine sooner or later, is a question left to be…solved.

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

"I can't believe it!" Warpath exclaims in disbelief as the Mystic Ponies left the courthouse. He was hoping Lorcan would be given the death sentence, but it fails thanks to that weirdo detective! "They actually gonna let him go?! Stupid! This is damn stupid!"

"Warpath! That's enough!" Blade exclaims sternly. "We are here to support Lorcan, not be against him! And we are here to help Princess Twilight for forgive him."

"Master Blade is right. As long as hatred existed in her mind, Twilight will have some difficulties to forgive Lorcan." Intellect said seriously. Even when certain points like the possibly of Starlight is alive was mentioned, the princess still got some doubts.

"Yes... We have to make sure she doesn't unleash her Dark Form. Who knows what it could do?" Dragonspear said, fearful that Twilight's Dark Form would cause a panic.

"Hopefully to kill him," Warpath remarked dryly. Virtue whacked his head, making him yelp in pain. "Ow! Okay! Giving him a chance! I really hate when you do that."

"Be faithful, Warpath. Everything will be fine. I will do anything to make sure it's okay. I've made a promise to Lorcan." Virtue explains calmly to Warpath.

Warpath groaned, "I've got the bad feeling about it."

At the alley of Ponyville, MC Cobra watched everything. He has found out of the results. And while there has been some funny bits, he is still...concerned about how Lorcan was pardoned, especially the Mystic Ponies' presence here.

MC hissed, "So not good! Boss ain't happy about it! Gotta tell him."

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

Twilight was uncomfortable when Celestia and Luna gave Lorcan a place to stay while he's serving his sentence: her Friendship Rainbow Kingdom castle and she has to be his caretaker! The Princess of Friendship tried to talk them into giving Lorcan another place to stay: no dice.

Ben takes Lorcan to Spike's room, saying, "All right, Lorcan, you will be staying here throughout your community service. We haven't gotten a bed, just one for Spike."

"You sleep in that? Oh no, you’re not," Lorcan exclaims to Spike bitterly. He clicks his fingers and in a burst of green flames, a bunk bed with mattresses appears. "I call dibs on the top."

"That was awesome!" Spike exclaims eagerly. "I know you will do well!"

"Yeah, I can hope so."

"Come on, Spike, time we make dinner. Lorcan, we will leave you be." Ben said with a chuckle. He and Spike leaves the room, leaving Lorcan to be by myself to make himself at home for now.

As Lorcan unpack his stuff, he notices Twilight coming in, giving a glare. He remarks, "Oh, hey princess. Tough luck, looks like I'm still alive; But since Starlight is proven to be..."

"Not another word when I'm speaking, Lorcan." Twilight hisses darkly to Lorcan, interrupting him. "You might have almost everyone else in Ponyville, even the princesses, buying your...transformation', but you and I both know of what you did in the past; Even if 'there's a chance that Starlight is still alive, I haven't forgotten or forgave that incident. So let me tell you something right now: you make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt my family, my friends, everypony I care about, and you won't have to worry about your fate anymore, because I'll make sure your fate ends, right then and there; permanently!" 

With that, Twilight storms out of the room, making Lorcan cringes a bit. This could be more troubling than he imagined it.

---------

In his private rom, the Superior summons a portal, causing Grimmore to appear. The evil Dark Elf spoke, "What is it?"

"The Demon Lords found out that Lorcan is alive. They are pissed and send Drago and his men after him." The Superior said seriously to Grimmore. "They even threatened you and are doubting your power."

"Oh, is that so? I knew that would happen eventually."

"So what shall be done?"

Grimmore pauses then smirks wickedly. He spoke, "Nothing. We will let them have their fun. When they fail...they would have to see how "lazy" I really am; Heh heh heh. Keep me posted."

Grimmore thus disappears, leaving the Superior alone. Looks like the two will leave the Demon Lords alone...for now.