-The Dark Night Begins-
Dark clouds loomed over Pride Rock. All the lionesses had gathered below the stone balcony, along with various animal tribes across the kingdom. They all looked up in gloom as Scar stood on the stone balcony, holding his brother's sword in his hands as he addressed them, "Today I bring very tragic news. During a hunting trip gone terribly wrong, a herd of wildebeests misinterpreted danger and stampeded into a gorge. My brother, the King Mario, myself, and my nephew, the Prince Link, were crossing the gorge to avoid the wildebeests and were overwhelmed by the stampede. I was able to escape to higher ground, but Prince Link was fatally injured. King Mario tried to go back to save him, but in the end, both were lost to the stampede."
All the animals hung their heads in mourning. King Mario had been the most beloved king in decades, and all were certain that Prince Link would follow well in his father's footsteps. Navi flew low, her glow a dark, gloomy blue as she mourned her masters. Queen Peach's eyes were red and raw from crying, her depressing sadness etched into her otherwise beautiful face. Zelda was holding onto her mother for support, her knees wobbling as she tried to take in the fact that her king and her best friend were both dead. Tears streamed down her pales cheeks as she rested her hand on her mother's shoulder, threatening to fall to the ground otherwise.
Scar continued his speech, "And so it is, with a heavy heart, that I, under these tragic circumstances, take on my assigned duty of becoming king."
He then raised his brother's sword up towards the sky to symbolize him becoming king. As he did this, thunder roared across the plains from several lightning bolts striking the ground in the distance. After a moment, Scar's arm wobbled, and he realized he was not used to the weight the sword carried. He reluctantly lowered it, which was made easier upon seeing that no one was cheering for his inauguration. He continued, "And while no one can truly replace a king like my brother, I shall do my best to carry out my new duties as fairly and justly as possible. And, as first act as king, I usher in a new era for the Pride Lands! An era in which lion and hyena live together, side by side in peace!"
All looked up in horror and disbelief at this statement, and were shocked to see dozens of hyenas come out of the lion's cave and join Scar on the stone balcony, looking down at the animals, smiling evilly. Zant, Veran and Ghirahim stood by Scar's side. Hundreds of other hyenas surrounded the gathering of animals, all looking evil and laughing quietly. The laugh they gave off sent chills down the spines of all other animals present. One lioness cried out, "This is an outrage! The hyenas can never coexist with the other animals! That has been tried and failed many times!"
"Any who object to the hyena's coexistence will be considered a disturber of the peace," Scar simply said, "Any who try to rebel against this new order will be considered an insurrectionist. And finally, any who speak out against me will be considered a traitor. And all of these crimes will be punished appropriately."
The lioness reluctantly backed down. All the animals looked around in terror as the full army of Hyenas circled around them. Even if they chose to rebel against Scar, they still would still have to go against his own personal army. Furthermore, who would they rally behind? The Circle of Life had not chosen anyone else to take over, and putting someone in charge that had not been chosen would result in certain disaster. So, they had no choice but to now follow Scar in his new regime. So, on this night, all the animal tribes of the Pride Lands prepared themselves for the long night ahead of them. But none of them could imagine just how long this night would last, or how terrible the nightmares it would bring would be.
So there ends the first act. Glad everyone's enjoying it so far! Stay tuned for the second act which will follow Link's banishment from the Pride Lands and Scar's rule as king. Be sure to guess who will be who and what new developments may happen now that you all realize additions will be made (for instance, just what purpose will Roy serve as Link's brother?). Stay tuned!