Time to hop into another adventure, this time in the Animal Kingdom!
Help from the Outlands
Pandora, Animal Kingdom
Judy Hopps wasn't entirely sure how she found herself in this particular situation. One moment she was trekking through an alien jungle with the Lion Guard, and the next she was being dragged around by a giant dinosaur thing between floating rocks. "Let go of me you… flying… beast… thing!"
"Don't worry, Miss Hopps! Kion is figuring out a way to get you down," said Ono, struggling to keep up the pace with the monster.
"Somehow, putting my life in the hands of children doesn't seem very comforting at the moment," Judy said to herself. Reaching for her belt, the rabbit cop pulled out her tranquilizer gun and fired a few darts into the monster's side. While it didn't knock the monster out, it did make it release Judy from its grip, though she was sent plummeting straight into the cloud abyss below. "Chess and crackers, I forgot to figure out how I was going to land!"
"Don't worry! Bunga is here to save the day! Zuka Zama!" shouted Bunga, the bravest of the Lion Guard. The badger made a running leap off of the cliff, grabbing a vine and swinging towards Judy. Instead of grabbing the falling rabbit, Bunga just ended missing and being stuck hanging on a vine.
"What did you exactly plan to accomplish with that?" Ono asked.
"Well, I saw a hairless ape doing this earlier, so I thought I'd try," Bunga responded.
"Judy is still falling, guys!" Fuli shouted.
Luckily, just as Judy was about to fall out of sight, a grey and black blur jumped across the abyss and grabbed her, landing safely on the other side. "Thanks for the save," Judy gasped, brushing off her uniform as she stood back on her own feet. The rabbit turned to meet her savior, only for the Lion Guard to rush between the two. "What are you guys doing?" she asked.
"Judy, the animal that saved you did not do so out of the kindness in their heart," Kion said.
"Yeah, she's a hyena," Fuli said. "They invade the Pride Lands and disrupt the Circle of Life."
The hyena scoffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. "As if you in the Pride Lands are any better. Would you let us in the Pride Lands even if we followed the Circle of Life?"
"But you don't," Kion said. "I've met Hyenas that respect the Circle of Life, and you're definitely not one of them. You look more like one of Janja's clan."
"… Uh, what is Kion talking about?" Beshte asked, only getting a shrug from Ono.
The hyena laughed. "Janja? His clan is a disgrace to mine and all hyenas."
Judy stepped between the two parties. "Guys, this isn't an argument that will lead to a peaceful resolution. I almost lost a close friend of mine because I thought that there was a difference between predators that were my friends and ones that weren't. But I learned something: that you can't judge people on how they look, but on their actions and how they choose to live." She looked at the hyena. "Simba told me a little about what happened to his father, but I also know that you were under orders from Scar to help him take the throne."
"A pretty horrible decision in hindsight," the hyena said. "He promised us food, but we just ended up in the same place as before: starved and hated."
Judy looked at Kion. "This isn't the Pride Lands anymore, it's a new world. You have a chance at a fresh start, without the prejudices of the past." She grabbed Kion's paw and the hyena's paw. "Why don't we shake on it?"
"Ugh, fine," the hyena said, rolling her eyes. "Just know, rabbit, that you'll be owing Shenzi a favor after this."
"Are you really going to trust this hyena, Kion?" Fuli asked.
The leader of the Lion Guard looked unsure for a moment, then confidently placed his paw in Shenzi's. "I trust Judy's judgement. We need to look past… well, the past."
"Sure, whatever kid," Shenzi muttered. "Besides, I saved the rabbit not because I wanted to, but because I need to tell you all something."
"And you figured that getting on the Lion Guard's good side would help them convince you of your honest-ness," Judy said. "Huh, that sounds like something my friend Nick would do. What is it we need to know?"
"First, that Scar is alive, and he's made allies," Shenzi said, getting a gasp from Kion. "And second, he's making his move on the king right now, so if we what to stop him, we've got to go now."
[***]
The Temple of the Yeti, Animal Kingdom
"Uh, this doesn't seem like a good idea," Clawhauser said, nervously standing in front of the temple's entrance.
"Come on, big guy," Bunga said. "We're about to go into a really cool-looking cave! What could go wrong?"
"The cave could collapse," said Ono nervously. "Or there could be a monster inside."
"Then we'll just fight it off," Bunga said. "Kion's Roar can deal with anything."
"I still can't believe that you have children as your main peace keepers," Bogo stated to Simba as they entered the temple.
"Kion and his friends are young, but I trust in their abilities to keep the Pride Lands safe," Simba said.
"They're doing a better job that you did," Shenzi laughed, only to cower as Simba let out a growl. "Calm down, King. I'm on your side, remember?"
"And you're on very thin ice as it is," Simba said. "Kion might have forgiven you, but I won't forget the part you played in my father's death."
Judy led the way into the temple, vaguely wondering what exactly they were going to find in here. Was there such as thing as a Yeti? And if there was, would they be able to beat it?
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" shouted a voice. Everyone quickly hid behind some ruins as Scar and Shere Khan come into view, both of them standing in the center of the temple. "You promised me a creature to kill Simba and his friends, Khan, so where is it?"
"This is but a mere setback," Shere Khan said to Scar. "Besides, the Yeti is a rather unruly fellow. What we really want is his treasure." The tiger walked over to one of the many artifacts strewn around the room. He swiped the lock on a chest and opened it. "This is what we came here for…"
"We won't let you have it, Scar!" shouted Bunga, jumping from his hiding place.
"That kid is going to get us all killed someday," Bogo muttered. He stepped out from his place and readied his riot shield and stun baton.
"This is the ZPD," Judy said, joining Bogo. "You two are under arrest for collusion against the King of the Pride Lands and breaking and entering."
"What's collusion?" Bunga asked.
"It means conspiring against someone," Ono explained.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Kion's little play group," Scar said as the Lion Guard appeared. "What is it you plan to do, use your little roar against me?"
"I mean, if you're not a ghost now, that should work," Kion said.
Shere Khan laughed. "Oh how naive you all are," he said. Tapping his claws on the ground, a giant snake came down and scooped up the Lion Guard. "Say hello to Kaa, my… shall we say, assistant we it comes to getting rid of annoying children."
"Kion!" Simba shouted, running to save his son. He was soon blocked, however, by a pack of hyenas.
"Hey! Move out of his way!" Shenzi shouted.
The pack of hyenas laughed, soon filling surrounding the heroes as they blocked every entrance to the temple. The hyenas just stared at Shenzi, only to part when the presumed leader of this pack stepped forward. "These are not your pack mates, faker," said the leader. "I am the real Shenzi, loyal to Scar and Scar alone."
"There's two Shenzis?" Beshte said confused.
"At least it's easy to differentiate them," Fuli replied. "Our Shenzi is grey, and the other one is brown."
"Now then, ladies, play nice," Shere Khan said. "All you have to do is let us leave with the artifact and- " The tiger looked down to see that the chest was now empty. "Where is the jewel!?"
"You mean this?" Judy said. While everyone was distracted, the bunny cop managed to sneak around and grab the jewel. Shere Khan growled and pounced at Judy, only for Bogo to come in and block the tiger with his shield.
"I won't have anyone die here today," Bogo stated, giving a grunt as he flung Shere Khan away. The buffalo then engaged the tiger in battle trading baton strikes to claw swipes.
"Shenzi, I say that it's about time for is to leave," Scar said to evil Shenzi. "Feel free to kill anyone on the way out."
"With pleasure," said evil Shenzi, leading her pack to attack Simba and good Shenzi.
Before the two sides could fight, Kaa let out a yelp of pain, dropping the Lion Guard from his grasp. "We've got your back Kion!" shouted a young female voice. Jumping down to join the heroes came a hyena with purple-tinted fur, alongside a lion with tan fur and a black mane, a lioness that looked similar to Nala, and a black panther with what looked like armor.
"Jasiri? Is that you?" Kion asked.
"You know her?" Simba asked.
"She's my friend," Kion said. "Long story. How did you know where to find us?"
"Shenzi sent me to find backup," Jasiri explained. She looked to the panther and gave a bow. "Allow me to introduce T'Challa, the King of Wakanda."
"Can we please do the introductions later?" Shere Khan said, still locked in battle with Bogo. "Scar! Get your army to ATTACK!"
And so the heroes of Zootopia, Pride Lands, and the Black Panther charged against Scar's hyena army, with Judy trying to keep the crystal away from the bad guys. Bogo and the lions focused on using their strength as a shield for the smaller animals, while Kion and the Lion Guard used their skills to run circles around the hyenas. T'Challa used his armor to tank hits and release a pulse that blasted the hyenas away, with the ZPD officers employing tranquilizers and stun batons to defend themselves.
"These guys are as easy to deal with as Janja's mooks," said Fuli, using her speed to make the hyenas dizzy.
"This is not turning out in our favor, Scar," Shere Khan said.
"Then allow me to help you both," said a mysterious voice. Everyone stopped fighting as a figure in dark robes appeared in a corridor of darkness.
"That voice… It can't be…" Scar said, eyes widening in recognition.
"That crystal you hold is quite powerful, rabbit," said the figure. They held out a hand, revealing it to be a lion's paw, summoning bones to surround and entrap Judy. "However, it could pose a problem for the Organization's plan. Allow me to end this conflict by removing the game pieces, shall we?"
The crystal suddenly started glowing brightly. "Hopps, get rid of that thing!" Bogo shouted.
Judy threw the crystal away, giving Shere Khan a chance to try and grab it. Shenzi (the good one) saw this and quickly went after the crystal herself grabbing it in mid-air. The crystal flashed a blinding light, and the only thing that was left was the faintest sound of Shenzi screaming.
"Shenzi!" Jasiri cried, running to where the other hyena had been.
The cloaked figure laughed as they opened up a corridor of darkness. "Serves the traitor right. Come along now, Scar. The Organization has use of you army."
"Gladly," Scar said, hopping into the portal with his hyenas in tow.
"Wait!" shouted the tan lion. "Mother? Is that you?" the cloaked figure flinched but didn't reply. "Mother, you don't have to do this."
The figure held out a hand and summoned a bone wall. "I don't associate with traitors, Kovu. You should have done as mother said, but you sided with Simba. I'll let you all live this time, but I won't hesitate to kill you the next time we meet."
As the bad guys escaped, the bones disappeared, letting the heroes have time to regroup. Kovu slumped down, with the lioness comforting him. "I thought I could get to her, Kiara," Kovu said.
"Kiara?" Simba and the Lion Guard said in surprise. "Sis, what happened to you? You're older," Kion asked.
Kiara looked at Kion in confusion. "I don't recall having a sibling. Though, there have been a lot of confusing things lately."
"We should regroup for now and get tend to the wounded," T'Challa said.
"Someone here finally said something reasonable," Bogo said, walking up to the panther. "So, you're another king of a kingdom of cats?"
"I wasn't a literal panther until recently," T'Challa replied. "My sister is currently working on that. If we go outside, I will lead you to where my people are residing."
As everyone went to leave, Judy stayed behind with Jasiri, whom continued to stare at the spot where Shenzi vanished. "Hey, it's going to be okay," Judy said. "Shenzi saved my life earlier today, so I know she sacrificed herself to save all of us as well."
"I… didn't really know Shenzi that well," Jasiri said. "But she was at least open to change, unlike many other hyenas. She was the matriarch of her tribe, and Scar used false promises to convince her to his cause." She looked to Judy. "If we meet any other hyenas that aren't loyal to Scar, I want to try and have them join our side."
"I'll help you with that," Judy said. "I could even try and convince Simba to let you guys join the Pride Lands after everything is all over."
"Then you'll need a strong leader to help you," said Shere Khan, appearing out of the shadows with Kaa. "Scar left me behind, abandoning our partnership. What is the saying: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" I'll play nice for now, and together we'll make Scar pay dearly for his betrayal."
[***]
Unknown Place
Up on Bald Mountain, Chernabog stared down at Shenzi, her body lifeless and limp. The demon held up his hand, making darkness and ghostly energy surround Shenzi's body. "Rise, Shenzi, and return to the land of the living!" The hyena's fur glowed as purple markings covered her body. "I give you but a small fraction of my power, and in return, all I ask is for you to do one small task…"
Author's Note
Wow a lot happened in this chapter! Sorry if it seems like the story is moving really fast, but the plots of all the lands are starting to come together, so I need to get characters where they need to be for when that time comes.
For those not in the know, Animal Kingdom has a whole part of the park dedicated to James Cameron's "AVATAR" which is where Judy was at the beginning of this chapter.
Shenzi is one of my favorite Disney Villains, mostly due to how sympathetic she is if you look outside of Simba's POV. She was the leader of her tribe, being unrightfully starved by the lions. Of course Scar was able to manipulate them to his cause, but they just as quickly betrayed him when he revealed that he didn't care about them, only wanting their numbers for an army.
Also, for those confused, the Evil Shenzi is from the Lion King remake coming out this year, and the reason Kiara doesn't remember Kion is because of timeline reasons. The Kiara here is from ONLY Lion King 2, not the Lion Guard, so since Lion Guard came out after LK2, she doesn't remember that she now has a younger brother.
Also, Black Panther showed up, as a literal panther! I couldn't pass up on the pun.
And Shenzi was brought back by Chernabog, along with Shere Khan offering to join the good guys. Where those plots go, we'll just have to wait…
We're rejoining Robin Hood and Belle next time, as they fall down the rabbit hole and into a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.
Don't forget to leave a review on what you thought of this chapter!
Characters that premiered this chapter:
Banshee (James Cameron's AVATAR) unnamed
Kion, Beshte, Ono, Bunga, Fuli, Jasiri (The Lion Guard)
Shenzi (The Lion King)
Janja (The Lion Guard) mentioned
The Yeti (Expedition Everest) mentioned
Kaa (The Jungle Book) non-speaking
Evil Shenzi (Lion King 2019)
T'Challa/Black Panther (Black Panther) MCU version
Kiara, Kovu (Lion King 2: Simba's Pride)
Oragnaization Member/ Zira (Lion King 2: Simba's Pride) unnamed