My Little Lion King

Chapter 11

As they looked at the unicorn couple from a distance, Rainbow Blitz let out a heavy sigh, and said "I tell you, Berry, this stinks!" "Oh, sorry." Bubble Berry said. "Not you! Them!" Rainbow Blitz said pointing at Dusk Shine and Twilight Sparkle who started to walk away. "Him. Her. Alone." "What's wrong with that?" Bubble Berry asked. "They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line." Rainbow Blitz said. "Our trio's down to two." "Oh." Bubble Berry said. "And with all this romantic atmosphere, disaster's in the air!" Rainbow Blitz said. Dusk Shine and Twilight Sparkle spent their time playing around with each other. They swam in the pond, and they wrestled with each other so much that they tumbled down a large hill. When they landed on the ground, Dusk Shine laughed as Twilight Sparkle leaned foward, and kissed his cheek. Dusk Shine looked at Twilight Sparkle in shock as she smiled. He smiled back, and they shared a kiss, much to the heartbreak of Rainbow Blitz and Bubble Berry when they realized that their pal was doomed. Later that night, Dusk Shine and Twilight Sparkle walked on the log bridge as Dusk Shine said "Isn't this a great place?" "It is beautiful." Twilight Sparkle said. "But, I don't understand something. You've been alive all this time. Why didn't you come back to Canterlot?"

"Well, I just needed to get out on my own." Dusk Shine said as he climbed into a hammock of hanging vines. "Live my own life. And I did. And it's great!" "We've really needed you at home." "No pony needs me." Dusk Shine said. "Yes we do!" Twilight Sparkle said. "You're the prince!" "Twilight, we've been through this. I'm not the prince!" Dusk Shine said. "Prince Artemis is." "Dusk Shine, he let the siren ponies take over Equestria." Twilight Sparkle said. "What?" Dusk Shine said. "Everything's destroyed!" Twilight Sparkle said. "There's no food, no water! Dusk Shine, if you don't do something soon, everypony will starve!" "I can't go back." Dusk Shine said. "Why?" Twilight Sparkle asked. Dusk Shine got off the vine hammock as he said "You wouldn't understand." "What wouldn't I understand?!" Twilight Sparkle asked. "No, no, no. It doesn't matter." Dusk Shine said. "Hakuna matata." Twilight Sparkle tilted her head in confusion as she said "What?" "Hakuna matata." Dusk Shine said. "It's something I learned out here. Look, sometimes bad things happen..." "Dusk Shine!" Twilight Sparkle said. "And there's nothing you can do about it!" Dusk Shine said finishing his sentence. "So, why worry?" "Because it's your responsibility!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Dusk Shine looked at Twilight Sparkle as he said "Well, what about you?! You left!" "I left to find help!" Twilight Sparkle said. "And I found you! Don't you understand? You're our only hope!" "Sorry." Dusk Shine said. "What's happened to you?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "You're not the Dusk Shine I remember." "You're right. I'm not." Dusk Shine said. "Now, are you satisfied?" "No. Just disappointed." Twilight Sparkle said. "You know, you're starting to sound like my father." Dusk Shine said as he started to walk away. "Good. At least one of us does." Twilight Sparkle said. Dusk Shine then looked at Twilight Sparkle as he said "Listen. You think you can just show up, and tell me how to live my life?! You don't even know what I've been through!" "I would if you just tell me!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Forget it!" Dusk Shine said as he walked away. "FINE!" Twilight Sparkle said feeling angry. In the meadow, Dusk Shine paced back and forth in rage as he said "She's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove, anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past." He looked up at the night sky as he said "You said you'd always be there for me! But, you're not! And it's because of me! It's my fault! It's my fault!" He than began crying his eyes out. Suddenly, he heard singing behind him, and he turned around to see Zecora in a tree singing. He sighed as he felt annoyed, and walked off while Zecora followed him.

Dusk Shine then walked onto a log, and looked down at the water below him, Suddenly, a pebble was thrown into the water, and he looked up to see Zecora singing in a tree in front of him. He got annoyed, and started to walk away as he said "Come on, will you cut it out?" "Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back!" Zecora said as she laughed a little. Dusk Shine sighed, and muttered "Creepy little zebra." Zecora followed Dusk Shine who said "Will you stop following me? Who are you?" "The question is who are you." Zecora said. "I thought I knew." Dusk Shine said. "Now I'm not so sure." "Well, I know who you are." Zecora said. "Shh. Come here. It's a secret." Dusk Shine leaned in to listen to Zecora, only to hear her sing instead. He groaned as he said "Enough already! What's that supposed to be, anyway?!" "It means you are a zebra, and I'm not." Zecora said as she laughed. Dusk Shine started to walk away as he said "I think you're a little confused." Zecora stopped him as she said "Wrong! I'm not the one who is confused. You don't even know who you are." "Oh, and I suppose you know." Dusk Shine said in a sarcastic tone. "Sure do." Zecora said. "You're Solaris's colt." Dusk Shine gasped in shock, and looked at Zecora who said "Bye!" She ran off as Dusk Shine followed her, and said "Hey, wait!" He finally caught up with her, and he looked at her sitting on a rock as he said "You knew my father?!"

"Correction. I know your father." Zecora said. Feeling dejected, Dusk Shine said "I hate to tell you this, but he died. A long time ago." "Nope! Wrong again!" Zecora said as she lept off the rock, and ran to a jungle entrance. She laughed a little as she said "He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow me. I know the way. Come on!" She entered the jungle, and Dusk Shine followed her as she said "Don't dawdle! Hurry up!" "Hey, whoa! Wait, wait!" Dusk Shine said as he struggled to catch up with her. "Come on, come on!" Zecora said as she sung a little. "Would you slow down?!" Dusk Shine asked as he tried following her, despite the obstacles being in the way. They then stopped running as Zecora said "Stop!" Dusk Shine stopped running as Zecora shushed him. She then parted the reeds, and whispered out "Look down there." Dusk Shine then quietly moved towards the reeds, and looked down at the edge to see his reflection in the water. He sighed, and said "That's not my father. That's just my reflection." "No." Zecora said as she made the ripples in the water form. "Look harder." As Dusk Shine's reflection changed into Prince Solaris's face, Zecora said "You see, he lives in you." Suddenly, Dusk Shine heard a voice that said "Dusk Shine." Dusk Shine looked up at the storm clouds moving in and said "Father?"

The storm clouds then took on the form of Prince Solaris, and he looked down at his son as he said "Dusk Shine, you have forgotten me." "No." Dusk Shine said. "How could I?" "You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me." Prince Solaris said. "Look inside yourself, Dusk Shine. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life." "How can I go back?!" Dusk Shine asked. "I'm not who I used to be." "Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true prince. Remember who you are." As the storm clouds moved away, Dusk Shine chased after it, and said "No! Please! Don't leave me!" "Remember." Prince Solaris said. "Father!" Dusk Shine said. "Remember." Prince Solaris said. "Don't leave me!" Dusk Shine whispered out as he stopped running. "Remember." Prince Solaris said as the sky finally cleared up. Zecora approached him as she said "What was that?" She laughed a little, and said "The weather. Very peculiar. Don't you think?" "Yeah." Dusk Shine said. "Looks like the winds are changing." "Ahhh. Change is good." Zecora said. "Yeah, but it's not easy." Dusk Shine said. "I know what I have to do. But going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long." Suddenly, Zecora wacked Dusk Shine on the head with her stick, and he said "Oww! Jeez! What was that for?!"

"It doesn't matter!" Zecora said as Dusk Shine rubbed his head to sooth the pain. "It's in the past." She laughed a little as Dusk Shine said "Yeah, but it still hurts." "Oh yes, the past can hurt." Zecora said. "But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." She tried wacking Dusk Shine again, but he ducked as she said "Hah, you see?! So what are you going to do?" "First, I'm gonna take your stick!" Dusk Shine said as he picked up the stick with his magic, and threw it behind him. Zecora ran after it as she said "No, no, no, no! Not the stick!" She picked it up, and turned around to see Dusk Shine running off as she said "Hey, where are you going?!" "I'm going back!" Dusk Shine said as he ran as fast as his hooves could carry him. "Good! Go on! Get out of here!" Zecora said as she laughed and hollered while shooting stars zipped across the sky.