Simba stood at the top of Pride Rock, staring out to the distance as he was alone with his thoughts and what happened that led up to Kovu being exiled.
"Father... please reconsider!" Kiara begged.
"You will not go anywhere without an escort from now on." Simba firmly told his daughter.
"No! That's not-" Kiara tried to protest.
"He used you to get to me!" Simba interrupted coldly.
"No! He loves me... for me!" Kiara explained.
"Because you are my daughter! You will not leave Pride Rock," Simba clarified in what he believed what Kovu was up to. "You will stay where I can keep an eye on you... away from him."
"You don't know him!" Kiara frowned at her father.
"I know he's following in Scar's pawprints..." Simba retorted. "And I must follow in my father's."
"You will never be Mufasa!" Kiara retorted out of heartbreak.
Simba felt stung and was silenced by her words. Kiara then broke down and ran back into the den to lie down and sob. She then saw a stream of light shining through a hole in the wall. Determined, she pushed her way through the wall, then ran down away from Pride Rock, searching for Kovu. She tracked the same path Kovu took while fleeing Pride Rock, but cannot find him.
"Kovu? Kovu..." Kiara called as she walked through the stream Kovu walked through, looking down at her reflection. Curiously, only half of her body was clear and she saw a brief image of her grandmother Sarabi. "Kovu..." she then continued looking through the cave while calling out his name.
Gabi overheard what happened between Simba and Kiara. "Oh, my... I better go and tell the others." she then said to herself before she went to find Mike and her cousins.
"Go home?!" Lil asked Mike as she was getting ready to leave The Pridelands. "You mean, you're just gonna give up right then and there?"
"I might as well," Mike sighed. "This is getting too dangerous and I don't wanna get you and Phil involved in such trouble."
"Mike, you can't let that crazy lion bitch get in your way, even if Kovu got banished from The Pridelands," Lil told her girlfriend as she grabbed her by the shoulder. "Mike Mazinsky isn't a quitter. I may not have known you long as the Eds, or Dexter and Dee Dee, or even Reggie and Otto Rocket, but I know that you aren't a quitter. You can beat out those lions and that clouded leopard any old day even if she has a personal grudge against me and Phil."
"I've already decided. I'm outta here," Mike told her mournfully. "Besides, Phil will probably wanna get out of here anyway and go back home to Courtney Gripling. It's kinda my fault I dragged him out here when he didn't seem to wanna go."
"Mike, Mike, Mike... Admit defeat, and defeat will surely admit you into permanent custody." Lil advised.
"What does that even mean?" Mike asked.
"I dunno, I heard it from Taffy once." Lil shrugged bashfully.
"Oh, you mean Dr. Bliss's assistant at your school?" Mike then asked.
"Yeah, she used to babysit me, Phil, Tommy, Chuckie, Kimi, and Angelica back in the day," Lil nodded. "Anyway, Mike, you just can't give up now."
"If I can't even beat my Zira, who is probably the most ruthless, coldhearted, and darkest lioness in the universe and even working alongside Scar who tried to do me and Simba in after killing his own brother, how can you expect me to beat her pride and that leopard?" Mike sighed at her girlfriend in response. "You and Phil are in danger because of me!"
"That never stopped us before!" Phil scoffed as he suddenly appeared.
"Phil?" Mike murmured once she saw her girlfriend's twin brother coming over suddenly.
"Lil, you mind if I step in?" Phil asked his sister.
"Uh, I guess," Lil shrugged at that. "Depends on what you're gonna do or say next."
"Trust me, I think I know how to help," Phil told his sister. "Have I ever let you down before?"
"Let me think for a minute." Lil rolled her eyes at her brother in response.
"Listen to me," Phil soon said as he looked at Mike. "You wanna give that lion bitch, Zira, the satisfaction of knowing she forced you out?" he then asked her.
"Well... no." Mike admitted softly.
"You wanna let the crowd who once cheered for you cheer for someone else?" Phil continued firmly. "Especially if that someone else is a crazy bitch who worked with the lion who tried to ruin The Lion Kingdom?"
"No!" Mike replied seriously that time.
"ARE YOU GONNA LET SOME CHAOTIC CATS RULE THE PRIDELANDS AND LET MUFASA'S NAME DIE IN VAIN?!" Phil soon asked firmly as he looked Mike dead in the eyes to show how serious he was right now.
"No!" Mike then glared, suddenly looking determined and hopeful.
"Together, we can do it!" Lil then suddenly grinned.
"You're right" Mike then said as she suddenly stood up and looked motivated. "We can beat them! Let's whip these lions and leopard!
"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" Phil then laughed at that. "Mission: Impossible!"
The three of them soon joined hands together, putting them on top of each other like a true team. "LET'S DO IT TO IT!" they then cheered together as they high-fived each other and soon darted away.
Betty overheard that as she stood with Freddie who looked proud of his niece and nephew and chuckled to herself. "Kids... will be kids."
"You can say that again." Freddie nodded in agreement.
Mike, Phil, and Lil soon began to wander out together before seeing Gabi who was there.
"Guys, thank goodness," Gabi said to them. "I was worried you were about to leave."
"Me? Leave during a big adventure like this? No way!" Mike chuckled and dismissed her even though that was what she did a few minutes ago.
"What's up, Gabi?" Lil asked her cousin.
"It's Kiara... She left." Gabi explained and frowned.
"What?" Mike, Phil, and Lil asked with wide eyes.
"I'm not sure where she ended up, but she and Simba were talking and I think she probably ran away from home." Gabi explained out of concern.
"Come on, we better go after her before Zira gets her probably like she did to Kopa." Mike suggested.
"Kopa? You mean Simba's firstborn cub?" Lil asked her girlfriend.
"Exactly," Mike nodded. "I don't want Simba to have two dead cubs on my hands."
"Now you're talkin'," Phil replied. "Let's go!"
And at that, the four youngsters took off to go and see if they could find Kiara before it would be too late.
The day quickly turned into night as Kiara wandered alone from The Pridelands out of heartbreak in hopes of finding Kovu. She was followed, but luckily for her sake, it wasn't by Timon and Pumbaa. She was also reflecting on Kovu and their time together, all they had seen and had been through as Mike, Phil, and Lil followed after her. Kiara looked up at the sky, seeing their rabbit and two lions in the sky, remembering, making her feel a little sadder on the way. She then moved to a log overhanging the stream. She sat down on it, depressed.
When she opened her eyes and peered at her reflection, she saw that it was, again, only half clear. Soon, she was sitting on a high knoll, with her head bowed. Kovu was soon seen approaching Kiara from behind her. Mike soon looked around and tossed a small pebble at The Lion Princess. Kiara winced and rubbed her head with her paw, glaring in annoyance until she turned around and noticed Kovu. The two young lions then came together and nuzzled each other lovingly.
"There's a perfect world, Shining in your eyes, And if only they could feel it too, The happiness I feel with you, They'd know, Love will find a way, Anywhere we go, We're home, If we are there together~" Kiara and Kovu sang together, looking deep in love with each other. "Like dark turning into day, Somehow we'll come through, Now that I've found you, Love will find a way, I know love will find a way~"
Two butterflies soon fluttered around the two lions. Mike, Lil, and Gabi looked at each other and then smiled warmly at the good that they just did. Phil rolled his eyes a bit at the mushy stuff, but he smirked warmly as he also enjoyed this nice moment. Kovu brightened up at the sight of butterflies and laughed before rushing off after them, with Kiara in pursuit. They wrestled briefly, then caught sight of themselves in a reflection.
"Hey, look... we are one." Kovu pointed out before smiling at Kiara.
Kiara smiled back, then realized what Kovu just said and looked shocked. "What?" she then asked him.
"Let's get outta here. We'll run away together!" Kovu soon said before smirking eagerly at Kiara as he had a special idea in mind. "And start a pride... all our own~"
Kiara giggled bashfully while Kovu chuckled eagerly. Suddenly, the mood changed once the two lions realized that they had company.
"Hey! Wassup?" Phil called to the two lions.
Kiara and Kovu both looked wide-eyed and nervous from the shock.
"Phillip!" Lil glared at her brother. "You ruined their moment!"
"Aw, relax... They'll forgive me later." Phil shrugged innocently.
"If they're not too busy ripping you to shreds first." Kovu grumbled at that.
"Man, are you ever glad to see us!" Phil soon told the two lions.
"I am?" Kovu mumbled.
"You're gonna be, once we take you back home." Mike replied.
"She's right," Kiara agreed. "Kovu... we have to go back."
"You're kidding, but we're finally together!" Kovu complained.
"Our place is with our pride," Kiara reminded. "If we run away, they'll be divided forever."
Kovu considered, but he didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Come on, you guys gotta go back home," Mike advised before she sighed. "Running away never solves anything and I should know, especially when I ended up in Pride Rock for the first time when I met Kiara's parents and grandfather."
"You ran away too, Mike?" Kiara asked curiously.
"You bet I did," Mike nodded from memory. "I felt like an outsider and an outcast too so I decided to run away from home and I was given quite a handful of adventures, especially around Pride Rock."
"Mike Mazinsky, you've led quite a life." Lil commented.
"Tell me about it." Mike nodded at that.
"Yeah... How come all the exciting stuff gets to happen to you?" Phil scoffed before smirking playfully.
Mike rolled her eyes at that before she smirked back at him on the way to Pride Rock. However, unknown to either of them, The Outlanders were crossing a river on the way to attack Pride Rock.
Meanwhile, inside Pride Rock, a certain meerkat and warthog duo were talking with each other about an issue that only they knew about.
"I can't believe we lost her again," Timon complained. "This is the 8,000th time!"
"Ooh!" Pumbaa groaned in response.
"I thought you were gonna watch her!" Timon then glared at the warthog.
"Me? You were gonna watch her!" Pumbaa glared back.
"I thought you were gonna watch her!" Timon retorted.
"No, you were gonna watch her!"
"You were gonna watch her!"
"Aah, watch this!" Pumbaa snarled as he suddenly leaped onto Timon.
"Oww!" Timon cried out and began to wrestle Pumbaa. "Take that, you creepy warthog! Say it! Say it!"
"Fat! Fat! Fatty fat fat!"
"What are you doing?" Simba asked as he approached them and when he spoke, they leapt into attention.
"Good question!" Timon grinned bashfully. "Now let me ask one."
"Hippo-thetically..." Pumbaa suggested.
"Very hypo-thetical," Timon corrected to Pumbaa and then added to Simba. "There's this guy..." he then started to say.
"But he's not a lion..." Pumbaa quickly added.
"No! No, he's not a lion... yeesh," Timon then said as Simba began to look amused. "Definitely not a lion. And, uh... uh... his daughter, um, say... vanished."
"Kiara is gone?" Simba asked out of concern.
"Sire! The Outsiders are on the attack... heading this way!" Zazu suddenly cried out as he flew in. "It's war!"
"Zazu! Find Kiara! We'll assemble the lionesses," Simba soon ordered. "Move! Now!"
"Any way we can help out?" Betty asked the Lion King.
"Well, if you think that you can help out." Simba replied.
"Yes, anything to help." Betty nodded.
"Especially to help your daughter and our own children." Freddie added.
"Well, all right," Simba replied. "Now I hear you can turn into wolves as well like Mike can when I first met her and we all called her Mwitu."
"It's in the blood, yeah," Betty confirmed. "You can count on us for that."
"Whatever it takes..." Freddie added before grinning. "We look forward to it."
"All right, you can help protect Pride Rock and go up against Zira and Siri," Simba said. "That leopard seems to have a personal grudge against your family."
"Tell me about it," Betty said. "Let's get to work."
"Right," Simba nodded. "Come along then."
And at that, Simba, Freddie, and Betty took off together to go and help defend Pride Rock while Zazu began to try to help find Kiara along with Mike, Phil, Lil, and Gabi. Kisasi soon overheard and saw that before he took off yet again to go and report to Zira that they were about to be in company during the ambush to Pride Rock.
A storm gathered as the two prides closed in on the field of battle; rain matted Simba's mane as he advanced. Prey animals skitter away from between the advancing lions and buzzards circled ahead as Betty and Freddie joined Simba's pride to go up against Zira's pride. Kiara and Kovu rushed home as fast as they could as Mike, Phil, Lil, and Gabi were on the way over.
The two prides faced each other across the field; when all were assembled, Timon and Pumbaa mooned the Outsiders. "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!" they then mocked the opposing side.
"Oh, that's very mature," Siri rolled her eyes. "Reminds me of that annoying collared mutt I had to face in order to get the helpless offspring on my territory."
"I don't know what happened with Phil and Lil back then, but you didn't get them then and you're definitely not getting them now!" Betty glared bravely.
"Bring it on, you've lost your touch 10 years ago." Siri snarled as she sheathed out her claws.
"Don't worry, Betts, I'm still here with ya." Freddie told his sister.
"Thanks, Freddie," Betty nodded. "I know I'll get by as long as you have my back."
"What're big brothers for, eh?" Freddie smirked warmly.
Betty smirked back at that.
"It's over, Simba!" Zira glared. "I have dreamed of nothing else for years!"
"Boy... does she need a hobby." Timon snarked.
"Last chance, Zira," Simba glared at his greatest enemy. "Go home."
"Oh, but Simba, we ARE home!" Kisasi retorted.
"Especially you, Kisasi with what I've trained you for, ever since I found you and took you in when I destroyed Prince Kopa before training Kovu to be the next Lion King." Zira smirked darkly.
"What are you talking about now, Zira?" Simba complained and glared.
"Oh, I suppose you ought to know now since you'll be dead very soon just like your father before you," Zira cackled and smirked. "You see, many years ago when young Kopa got lost in the Savanna, I found him lost, alone, and not a single thought or idea in his head and thought of a better way to get leverage against you~"
"And what was that?" Simba demanded.
"I did destroy young Prince Kopa, but then my best spy in The Outlands Kisasi was born the next day after you lost your heir to the kingdom that rightfully belongs to Scar, using the perfect revenge... Which is how Kisasi got his name..." Zira continued with a dark smirk. "I decided to raise your Prince Kopa as Kisasi so you would die in his paws as cruel irony like when you killed your uncle!"
"What?!" Simba gasped.
"Kisasi is our son?!" Nala added.
"What better revenge if I do say so myself?" Zira smirked.
"After all, you deserted me as a young cub and I had no choice but to make a home in The Outlands." Kisasi added firmly.
"Kisasi... Kopa... We didn't know you were all alone," Simba begged him since he was his estranged son from years ago without realizing it. "We're very sorry, if we knew you were alive, we would've-"
"Forget it! I don't want your forgiveness!" Kisasi snarled and narrowed his eyes. "Zira helped make my heart black as Scar's mane and I'll help her destroy you since she's my family now."
"Besides, Simba didn't destroy Scar, it was the hyenas." Nala soon said.
"We don't care... The time to talk has come to an end and now it's time to fight," Zira snarled as lightning flashed and thunder cracked all around them. "ATTACK!" she then told her pride.
The two opposing lines soon advanced toward each other, first walking, then picking up speed until they hit a full run.
"Go for the eyes! Break his jaw! Hit him low!" Zira coached her pride from a high rock. "Get them! Do what you must!"
Kiara and Kovu approached from a distance, but the dust of the battle was already rising, causing them to worry.
"We're too late." Lil frowned.
"It's never too late to do what's right," Mike told her girlfriend. "We have to go in anyway and see if we can help."
"Even if that leopard wants me and Lil dead?" Phil asked.
"Even then," Mike nodded. "You too, Gabi. Let's see what you can do."
"Right behind ya guys." Gabi replied.
Soon, the four howled together, turning into brown-furred and orange-furred wolves as they rushed toward the battlefield at full speed along with Kiara and Kovu who tried to put away their fears for now. Phil, Lil, and Gabi looked very worried and nervous as Siri fought against Betty and Freddie while the two older wolves tried to keep up their own strength along with the lions.
"What do we do? What do we do?" Pumbaa panicked.
"There's only one thing we can do, Pumbaa: 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going'," Timon advised his best friend. "That's our motto!"
"I thought our motto was 'Hakuna Matata'?" Pumbaa replied out of confusion.
"Pumbaa, stop living in the past! This is the sequel! We need a new motto!" Timon told him.
Timon and Pumbaa then ran screaming into the battle, trying to appear as menacing as they could. They were then stopped short by a snarling lioness, causing them to turn and run back the way they came.
"Like I said: Let's get going!" Timon told Pumbaa nervously.
Kovu and Kiara ran down an embankment covered with fallen logs along with their wolf friends. Kovu nearly slipped, but caught onto one of the logs and jumped down safely as the logs began shifting.
"Where's your pretty daughter, Nala?" Vitani taunted as she looked down at her opponent.
"Vitani!" Nala gasped at her.
"Mind if I cut in?" Kisasi asked Vitani.
"I'd be insulted if you didn't." Vitani told him before they both leapt down onto Nala, causing the three of them to roll down the hill together, fighting fiercely.
Timon and Pumbaa were being chased by a number of lionesses. They got backed up against a wall, surrounded; Pumbaa put his face to the wall and covered his eyes. Timon looked around, panicking, and finally saw a way out; he jumped up on Pumbaa's back, bent Pumbaa's tail, cocked it, and held it like a gun.
"Don't anybody move! This thing's loaded," The meerkat told the lionesses. "I'll let you have it!"
The enemy lionesses all shrieked and turned tails, fleeing over the horizon.
"Yeah! Yeah... talk about your winds of war!" Timon chuckled and nodded.
Back on the battlefield, Zira was laughing as she viewed the battle turning in her favor. "Simba... You're mine!" she then said before jumping down to the current Lion King. She and her two back-up lionesses approached Simba, who was fighting off several enemies at once.
The lionesses part, making way for Zira and Simba to fight one-on-one. Just as they were about to land the first blows, Kiara and Kovu leaped into the scene, and stood between the two enemies. Mike, Phil, Lil, and Gabi soon joined them as well, all in their respective wolf forms with blood red eyes.
