IN THE PRIDE LANDS
“HAHAHAHAHA!! Simba is going to be so peeved! I can imagine the look on his face! Hehehehehe...” Cheezi giggled.
“Yeah! Hehehehehe... he ain’t gonna stop us now, right Janja?” Chungu asked.
“Exactly, boys! It’s all part of Scar’s plan! With him and his family out of our way, all of the Pride Lands will be ours for the taking!” Janja evilly cackled.
The hyenas, jackals, crocodiles, and vultures were entering through the outskirts of the Pride Lands as they have been tasked by the evil fiery lion to bring misery and hopelessness to the royal family. All the inhabitants of the Pride Lands never expected a time in which they would all experience Scar’s second reign of terror. They woefully were unaware of the arisen darkness that would soon prevail over all the lands... starting with Pride Rock.
Simba and Nala stood on Pride Rock with looks of worry and fear on their faces; they kept looking for signs of the Lion Guard’s return with Kiara safely retrieved. “Simba... d-do you think Kion will make it? I f-fear that the worse will come...” worried Nala.
“No, Nala, the Lion Guard will make it,” assured Simba. “I know it from my heart. Everything will be all right.”
“Honey, we have been waiting for hours for them to come back with our daughter! And they still haven’t returned,” stressed Nala as tears formed on her eyes. “I really don’t like the sound of that.”
Just as she had said that, thunderclouds were forming just above the Pride Lands. Chilling winds blew the trees, the antelope were scattered, and some thunder cracked in the sky. Still determined to not give in to despair, Simba put his paw on Nala’s and nuzzled her cheek. “I understand your concerns, dear,” he comforted. “But Kion has faced enemies many times before; if he could overcome them from time to time, I’m sure he will succeed and bring Kiara safely home.”
Finding comfort and assurance in his words, Nala nuzzled him back with a soft smile. “Okay... let’s hope he comes back soon.”
“He will,” Simba smiled. “I have faith in him.”
Suddenly, thunder cracked in the sky again, and lighting bolts flashed in the dark clouds. Then just below the Pride Rock, Scar’s army reached unto them. Alerted to their unexpected presence, Simba and Nala growled in anger and got into their fighting poses. They drew close to the rocky edge of the Rock to get a better view of their unwelcome adversaries. The villains smiled mischievously as they knew they had already won.
“What are you doing here?! What have you done with my daughter Kiara?!” Simba angrily demanded.
“Oh, nothing much...” Janja laughed. “We just wanted to relay the ‘unfortunate’ news of your daughter.” Hearing those words struck horror in the hearts of the royal couple.
“Kiara is no longer—how should I say it?—in the land of the living. Quite a sad day, isn’t it?” Ushari sarcastically hissed. The salamanders around him snickered as he said that.
“No... no... NO!! You’re lying!!” Nala shouted.
“That can’t be true!” Simba added. Nala’s fears had been confirmed. Their daughter was gone... forever.
“Oh, and as for the Lion Guard, I’m afraid they have suffered the same fate,” Ushari added further as he relished the fear, anger, and pain in their eyes. “They went out like cowardly failures they were.”
“Yeah! They were... uhh... begging for mercy! It was like music to my ears!” a jackal crazily chuckled.
“Sorry, Simba, but you have lost. With the Pride Lands’ greatest protectors destroyed, there ain’t no one standing in our way,” Janja taunted. He drew close to Simba as he grinned wider. “The entire kingdom is ours now.”
Simba and Nala didn’t know what to do next. They lost their daughter, they lost their son, and they lost all their friends... the entire Lion Guard. They never thought that the day would come which the Lion Guard would lose their lives in an instant and so sudden. Seeing that all hope was lost forever, Simba bowed his head in extreme sorrow while Nala wept over the loss of their children.
A lightning bolt struck the grass near Pride Rock which ignited a fire. The sky was darker as more thunder cracked in the sky. As the fire grew, a pillar of flame erupted from it which formed into Scar. He laughed in great triumph as he finally beheld the face of his arch enemy. Simba widened his eyes in terror and shock as he looked at his long-dead uncle—the most dangerous villain of the kingdom and the one who ruined his childhood and brought misery to all the Pride Lands. He slowly stepped back as he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
“Hello, Simba! Your favorite Uncle Scar is back! HAHAHAHAHA!!!” Scar taunted.
“No... it can’t be... SCAR?! You-You’re dead! How are you alive?! How is this possible?!” Simba shrieked.
“Oh, no, your eyes do not deceive you, Simba. Besides, who would know me better than you?” Scar evilly smirked. “Your precious children are no more... the same goes for their dear friends!”
“No! You will not prevail, Scar! We will find a way to stop you!” Nala defied.
“Ah, ah, ahhh, Nala, you forget who you are talking to,” Scar mockingly scolded. “I will take back my place as the Pride Lands’ rightful king! My army will take whatever they want, and I will scorch everywhere I seek and claim my victory as I see fit!” Then he turned to Simba. “Face it, Simba, you’ve lost.”
While Nala remained defiant, Simba couldn’t take anymore of what was going on; he lost his children, lost the Lion Guard, and then his worst enemy returned to spread chaos throughout the lands. “I cannot believe all of this is happening... in one day. Scar has returned, and he killed my son and daughter. Without the Lion Guard, I have no way of defending my kingdom.” he thought. Then he roared angrily at Scar.
“YOU WILL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS, SCAR! NOT THIS TIME!!” Simba roared.
“But I already have! The kingdom is mine to command, your subjects are abandoning you, and most importantly...” Scar grinned more sinisterly as he spoke the next words. “Your father Mufasa would be very disappointed of your failure. Surely, he would consider you as a worthy successor and competent king after all the failures you achieved, right?”
Hearing those last words struck a nerve in Simba. It slowly broke him down and made him consider everything he had done that led up to this. What would Mufasa say to Simba? “I’ve... I’ve already disappointed him by failing to keep Kion and Kiara safe... what... have I done?”
“So, what is it going to be, Simba? Surrender the throne or be destroyed? You decide!” Scar threatened, wickedly chuckling.
Simba looked left and right as he saw fire spreading throughout the grasslands surrounding Pride Rock. He also saw his lionesses gathering their cubs to keep them safe, and the animals scattering themselves away from Scar’s army and the rampaging fire. Seeing that he was vastly outnumbered and weakened by sorrow and disbelief, he lowered his head. “I... I... (sniff) surrender, Scar.”
“Simba, NO!!” Nala screamed.
The hyenas and Scar laughed in triumph as their nemesis gave up. “Wise decision, Simba. I suggest that you and your pride also do the following: run... run away and never return.”
“Simba, you can’t be serious! Scar will destroy everything we hold dear like what he did all those years ago! We will not give up that easily!” Nala objected.
“Nala, it’s OVER! Kion and the Lion Guard are dead, our daughter is dead, and our entire kingdom is lost! There is no more hope for the Pride Lands!” Simba angrily yelled.
“No, Simba, you defeated him even after you learned he killed your father Mufasa! We can beat him again!” Nala pleaded.
Simba however turned his face away from Nala and looked to the thunderclouds. “I don’t see how I can, Nala. Losing my father was horrible enough, but losing two of the best cubs we could ever have... that’s something different altogether.” Simba sobbed. “We lost, Nala.”
Seeing how her husband was acting and understanding what was going through his mind, she assembled the lionesses and their cubs. “Move out! We must find shelter before the fire reaches us! Go, now!”
Obeying her command, they left Pride Rock to escape the deadly inferno. Nala then turned to Simba. “I’ll get Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, and the others out of here. I hope... I hope you come up with a plan.”
After she left, Simba took one last glare at Scar and his army before retreating with his pride. “I’m sorry, father... I have failed you.” Simba sadly whispered.
Scar manically laughed as he once again had the whole kingdom under his control. “At last, victory is mine! Goodbye, Simba! And hello, Scar! THE KINGDOM OF SCAR! HAHAHAHAHA!!”