“A manticore cub... HERE?!” shrieked Twilight. “Wait, you don’t have wings or horns? What are you?”
“Hello? I’m a lion cub! Hasn’t anyone in this town heard of a lion or lioness before?” Kiara groaned in annoyance.
“Well... probably not... depending on what they look like I guess,” said Spike, smiling sheepishly. Twilight drew close to Kiara to examine her appearance.
“Hmmm... where do you come from?” Twilight asked.
“I come from the Pride Lands,” she replied.
“The Pride Lands? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that name before. Is that where others like you reside in? I don’t think there’s a place like that in Equestria.” Twilight chatted.
“Uh, Twilight? She’s not from here; she is actually from another dimension...” Spike interrupted.
The moment she heard those words, Twilight’s pupils shrunk in stunning surprise. Then she grew a large smile that would make Pinkie Pie jealous and jumped up and down excitedly. “ANOTHER DIMENSION?! That’s just amazing!! I’ve ALWAYS wanted to meet a dimensional creature!!” Then she glanced back at Kiara who was completely puzzled by her abrupt excitement. “I’m so sorry. I never asked for your name! What is your name?”
“Uh... I’m Kiara...” the cub uttered, still confused by the unicorn’s outburst.
“Kiara,” Twilight repeated. “What a beautiful name! I’m Twilight Sparkle! My pleasure to meet you! I’m happy that you and Spike are becoming friends! Speaking of friends, I should introduce you to my other friends here in town! You will like them!”
Kiara looked at Spike for a second to see him nodding in agreement with Twilight. She thought about it until she slightly smiled at the idea. “Well... I guess that can work out. But will you help me get back home? My parents are worried sick about me, my home is in danger, and I really have to get back.”
“No worries, Kiara. The princesses will be more than happy to assist you!” Twilight smiled.
“Wait, princesses? You have rulers here?” Kiara asked.
“Yep! We have Princess Celestia who raises the sun and Princess Luna who raises the moon!” Twilight replied.
“Really? Raise the sun and moon?” Kiara asked, confused even more. “How is that even possible for two creatures to do just that?!”
“They wield powerful magic as alicorns!” Twilight said.
“Alicorns? Okay, the more I hear about this... magic and moving the sun and stuff the more I’ll be dumbfounded. Like seriously!” Kiara exclaimed, rubbing her head.
“Don’t worry, Kiara. You’ll get used to it,” said Spike.
“Come, let me take you to my friends! They will be very intrigued once they see you... especially Fluttershy.” Twilight smiled as she exited the door with Spike and Kiara following her.
“Who’s Fluttershy?” Kiara asked.
“You’ll see,” Spike said.
IN THE WILDERNESS
“Owww... uhhh... where are we? What just happened?” Beshte asked, groaning. He and the Lion Guard got up and saw themselves in a wilderness that had more color than the ones had in their world. “I don’t think we’re in the Outlands anymore.”
“It sure doesn’t look like we’re in the Pride Lands at all either,” Kion added. “What was that thing that Scar threw us in? It almost looked like it took us to another place.”
“I still don’t understand! How is it that Scar has returned? Isn’t he supposed to be dead?” Fuli asked. “How did he come back? Why did he just transport us to a desert? He’s got to be up to something!”
“I think he’s out for revenge against Simba! After all, he did defeat him,” Bunga said.
“Can it be possible that Kiara went through here? She wasn’t anywhere in the volcano, and Scar and Janja kept hinting about what they’ve done to her.” Ono noted.
“Then that means...” Kion widened his eyes in shocking realization. “Scar took her here! She has to be somewhere around here! Once we find her, we will return back to the Pride Lands and defeat Scar and his allies!”
“Yeah! Scar won’t be able to win this time!” Bunga boasted.
“Ono, scan the area to see if there is a trail or path we can walk in,” Kion ordered.
“Affirmative,” said Ono. As he flew up to the sky, he focused his keen sight on the desert grounds. He spotted a hidden trail that led the way to a strange cave underneath a sandy hill. Satisfied, he flew back down to the group. “I just spotted a trail that leads to that cave over there. It might very well be the way out!”
After Kion looked at that direction and saw the cave, he smiled with firm determination. “Great! Come on, everybody! Let’s rescue Kiara and save our home! To the Pride Lands and...”
“LION GUARD DEFEND!” the rest finished. They ran to the trail and resumed their search for their lost princess.
Unbeknownst to them, Scar and Sombra spied on them from a distance and teleported back to the lava pit. “Well, it would seem that our dear party crashers are determined to rescue their princess from her predicament,” Scar observed. “Hehehe, it won’t be long until they will be too late.”
Sombra sinisterly laughed that made the whole volcano shake. “Indeed, my friend. Sooooonnnn... I will rule the Crystal Empire once again, the ponies will be mine, and all of Equestria will bow to my will. I thank you for providing me a vessel for my inevitable success.”
“What are friends for? HAHAHAHAHA!!” Scar evilly laughed. “Simba will tremble before me and will surrender the entire kingdom to me! We will both benefit from each other and rule two worlds... together!”
Both villains laughed wickedly together until Sombra disappeared in his shadow form. “Is your clan ready, Janja?” Scar asked.
“Ready to get the party started, boss!” Janja chuckled.
“Excellent! Go, and make Simba suffer!” Scar commanded. The hyenas, jackals, and crocodiles left the volcano and made their way to the Pride Lands. “Everything is falling into place... little by little.”
BACK IN PONYVILLE
Twilight and Spike showed Kiara all of Ponyville and its residents. While they were showing her the places in the town, Kiara was still annoyed by the awkward and curious stares from most of the residents. Whenever she looked back at them, they swiftly resumed their business as if they never looked at her.
“This is Sugarcube Corner! It’s the place where you can have sweet treats and delicious pies and cakes served there! You’ll love it!” Spike explained.
“Gee, I wonder what they look and taste like,” Kiara sarcastically remarked.
Pinkie stepped out of the front door and waved at her friends. “Hey, Twilight! Hey, Spike!” Then she suddenly laid eyes on the cub princess.
“Pinkie, meet Kiara! Kiara, this is Pinkie!” Spike introduced.
Pinkie exploded with joyful excitement and brought a party cannon with her. “A NEW VISITOR TO PONYVILLE! I MUST THROW YOU A WELCOME PARTY!!” she bellowed. Confetti sprayed everywhere with balloons flying around the dumbfounded cub.
“Ooooookkkaayyyy... that’s just strange...” Kiara muttered. “Did she just... pull that thing out of her back and those colorful thingies out of her hair?”
“It’s Pinkie Pie,” said Spike. “Whenever she does something odd or bizarrely weird, the best thing to do is NEVER question her or the things she does... for the sake of your sanity.”
“Advice gladly accepted.” Kiara willingly nodded.