Chapter 22:

A Small Fight/ Dusk Searches For Ocellus

Meanwhile, back at the Castle, Twilight was standing at the balcony looking firm and serious, no longer letting her guard down. After being tricked and ambushed, Twilight appears to no longer trust anybody who comes across her. She was definitely never going to trust anypony who had anything to do with Chrysalis from her past, or the band of Outsiders.

"Mother, you need to reconsider having Ocellus back, please!" Dusk requested, pleading for his mother to change her mind about exiling Ocellus.

"You are not leaving this kingdom without an escort from now on," Twilight announced to him sternly, not breaking her gaze on the kingdom. She no longer trusted Dusk to travel on his own. She could tell her son had been developing feelings for the Outsider, and while Twilight wanted her son to find love, she knew Ocellus was just using him.

"No, Mother. That's not what I…" Dusk tried to say but was interrupted.

"She used you to get to me!" Twilight said, turning to her son with a stern look.

"No! Ocellus loved me and I loved her!" Dusk argued in disagreement.

"Because you're my son and the next heir to the throne. You will not leave this castle. You will stay where I can keep an eye on you away from her!" Twilight argued making her son back away from her in fear.

"You don't even know Ocellus as I do!" Dusk argued, seeing how his mother doesn't know Ocellus the way he does.

"I do know that she's been following in Chrysalis's hoofprints! And if Ocellus is following Chrysalis's hoofprints, then I might as well follow in my parents," Twilight declared, remembering that Stone Heart told her that Ocellus was meant to follow in Chrysalis's hoofprints.

"But you'll never be like Grandmother or Grandfather! Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if Queen Twilight Sparkle wasn't my…mother!" Dusk said turning away from his mother with a hurt look on his face, almost sounding like he was gonna cry.

"What? Dusk, I didn't-" Twilight tried to say, turning to her son to explain but was interrupted when Dusk continued.

"And if you think following in your parents' hoofprints will be a whole lot easier, then so be it!" Dusk said as he turned and started running off away from his mother.

"Dusk, I'm sorry. Dusk, please don't…leave," Twilight said trying to apologize as she watched her son disappear out of her sight.

After Dusk has left, Twilight sighed in defeat and guilt. She couldn't believe she just said that to her own son nor had she ever seen him so upset before. As Twilight continues looking over the kingdom, Cadance and Flash walked over to have a word with her.

"This is not good. Nopony ever listens, you know," Cadance said with a sigh.

"I don't know what to do anymore, guys. I've tried everything," Twilight said, giving up on herself.

"Everything, Twilight? You tried everything?" Flash asked, knowing his wife did try everything except for only one thing.

"What are you saying, Flash?" Twilight asked, turning to her husband.

"What Flash is saying is that maybe it's time you need to let go of what happened in the past," Cadance replied, explaining to Twilight what Flash was saying.

"I don't know if I can, guys. I mean…what kind of queen will that make me if I do let go of the past?" Twilight asked, wondering what will happen if she does let go of the past.

"We don't know, Twilight. But if you don't let go of what happened in the past or let go of that hate, it'll destroy you as it did with Chrysalis, Twilight," Flash warned her as he and Cadance headed back inside the Castle, leaving Twilight to her thoughts once more.

Meanwhile, Dusk was in his bed chamber sitting at his reading desk with a disappointed look on his face. He couldn't believe that his mother would exile the mare he loved with his heart and is keeping him inside the castle for the rest of his life. Before any thoughts were made, Dusk then heard a light knock on his door.

Opening and entering, Dusk turned and saw that it was his aunt Fluttershy coming into his room.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing here?" Dusk asked, confused about why his aunt was here.

"I just thought I would help you find Ocellus," Fluttershy replied, surprising her nephew.

"Really, but why?" Dusk asked, he figured everypony was on his mother's side. Especially her closest friends. After all, she was the Queen.

"Because a wise nephew taught me that being a prince is half of what he is. So now, it's time you find the other half, Dusk. You deserve to be with Ocellus and Ocellus deserves to be with you," Fluttershy said, encouraging her nephew to go and find Ocellus and express his feelings to her.

Dusk was a little unsure at first but after some careful thinking and listening to what Fluttershy was saying, he put on a determined look knowing that Fluttershy was right.

A few minutes later, Fluttershy helped Dusk by opening a secret passageway on the side of the Castle that leads outside. The two ponies exited out and ran off down the stairs.

Arriving at a nearby hill, Dusk and Fluttershy looked back at the Castle, seeing how Twilight won't do anything about it. Dusk turned to Fluttershy and gave her a quick thank-you hug for her help. Fluttershy returned the embrace, always happy to help her nephew.

Dusk then sets out on his own to find Ocellus while Fluttershy hung back, watching her nephew go off on his mission. She hoped everything would work out for everypony in the end. Hopefully Dusk's actions would lead to something great.

Dusk ran like the wind to find Ocellus and began his search. First, he stopped by a pond and began looking around for her.

"Ocellus?" Dusk called out, looking under and over the rock under a tree at the pond.

Then Dusk got on the rock to get a better view to find Ocellus before jumping down and splashing into the pond below.

"Ocellus, where are you?" Dusk called out again before looking down and to his shock, he sees his reflection was only one-half.

Dusk ran off and continues searching for Ocellus.

Then Dusk heads to the same ravine that he, Ocellus, and his aunts were running in and looked inside the narrow crack to see if Ocellus was in there.

"Ocellus?" Dusk called out, looking around but no sign of Ocellus there either.

Heartbroken, Dusk sighed sadly in defeat, thinking that Ocellus might be gone for good…maybe even forever. And he never got the chance to tell her how he felt about her.