Chaka and Shani are the twin cubs of Simba and Nala. One day, Shani's curiosity gets the best of her and she enters a cave. There she meets a male cub named Kovu. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Kovu is the son of the previous king Scar, and is a part of a sinister plot by Scar’s widow to take over the Pride Lands.
The Pride That Never Was
is a rewrite of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride based on elements that changed in development. It uses early names for several characters and plot points that were removed (or at least rumored to be removed) in development.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Adaptation Name Change:
- Kiara is called "Shani," meaning “crimson,” “curiosity,” “adventure” or “accident” in Swahili.
- Zira is renamed "Bianca,” which has no Swahili translation but in Anglo-Saxon origin means “White,” or “fair.”
- Vitani is named "Shetani,” which loosely translates to “Satan” or “she-devil.”
- Averted with Kovu. Instead of using his rumored prototypical name Nunka/Nuka, he keeps his finalized name.
- Adapted Out:
- Nuka is removed for pragmatic reasons. The writer felt he wasn't needed and would just add to the already large cast.
- The hyenas’ alliance with Zira/Bianca from the early drafts of “Simba’s Pride” was left out, due to the author believing their presence would’ve made the story repetitive and illogical compared to the first film.
- Simba’s note death by the hands of the Outsiders from the film’s developmental stages was left out of the story for obvious reasons.
- Kovu’s scar in the story is just a scratch rather than a permanent mark.
- Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Timira and her mother Masika are grey lionesses.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: The Outsiders are given slightly more backstory to make them understandable. It’s stated that during Simba’s exile, Scar had allowed a nomadic group of lionesses into his pride. Taking pity upon them for the loss of their previous king, Scar made Bianca his queen. After Scar was killed, Bianca had attacked Simba within an inch of his own life and was banished with her followers after multiple failed attempts at reasoning. Ironically enough, 6 years following this story’s release, “The Lion Guard” would present a similar backstory for the Outsiders involving Zira attacking Simba and being ousted for it.
- Adaptational Personality Change
- The writer transplants most of Simba’s visceral hatred of the Outsiders upon Chaka, as a means of invoking more sympathy towards Simba, and adding drama involving Chaka’s sister’s relationship with Kovu.
- Kiara is, as the author puts it, “less of a
Mary Sue”. Some examples of this would be when Shani questions Kovu for his role in Simba’s attempted murder.
- Arranged Marriage: Shortly after being born, Chaka and Timira were betrothed to one another.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Evolves into this as the pair fall deeply in love.
- Adaptational Self-Defense:
- Kovu is far more assertive during his confrontation with his mother after the ambush. He gives her a good flea in the ear about their misguided loyalty towards Scar before she finally scratches him in the face.
- Kovu attempts to reach Shani when he is on trial for the ambush, only to be stopped by a wall of animals. He constantly tries to break past them, only to realize that he will most definitely get maimed and/or killed if he riles up Simba’s subjects even more.
- Alleged Lookalikes:
- Kovu bears a very striking resemblance to his dead dad, Scar.
- Chaka and Shani are very close in resemblance to one another, but to also their father.
- Assassination Attempt: Bianca is said to have tried to kill Simba, leading to her exile. She attempts this again near the end of the story, only to fail and fall to her death.
- Babies Ever After: At the end of the story, Zazu and his wife Binti have three chicks.
- Broken Pedestal:
- Kovu is the first to find out just how awful Scar is, learning from Sarafina about the crimes his father committed to lay claim to the Pride Lands.
- After helping Simba get away from the Outsiders’ ambush, Kovu tells Bianca about the story of Scar that he was fed by the Pridelanders, which is notably contradictory to her re-telling of the events. It isn’t until he denies Simba’s responsibility in Scar’s death that gets her to lose faith in Kovu. In turn, Kovu recognizes Bianca for the manipulator she is.
- The Outsiders are in disbelief hearing Kovu’s defense towards Simba, leading to them realizing that among Bianca and Kovu, one of them is clearly lying. The answer as to whom becomes very clear by the final battle.
- Character Death: Sarabi is noted to be dead in the story, having passed away of old age after Simba’s ascension to the throne.
- Dead Guy Junior: Kovu is born after the death of Scar and the Outsiders’ banishment. As such, he is named “Kovu” as it translates to “Scar” in Swahili.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- When Kovu infiltrates the Pride Lands, he is shown to be, in his own way sympathetic towards Simba’s family, knowing the suffering they will endure once Simba dies by his hand as planned.
- When Chaka attempts to murder Kovu, the Outsiders look on in shock and horror despite Kovu having turned their back on him earlier that night. Bianca and Shetani are especially concerned; Bianca still recognizes Kovu as her and Scar’s only son, whilst Shetani races in to defend Kovu.
- Speaking of Shetani, it is soon revealed that Timira had gotten lost in the bush-fire trap Shetani had sent. After mistaking Timira for a fellow Outsider, Shetani gave her hospitality in the Outlands, even continuing to do so once she learned she was from the enemy pride. Even though she was planning on killing the king and overtaking the kingdom with her brother, mother, and family, she was still willing to give hospitality to someone else in need, expecting nothing in return.
- Family Eye Resemblance:
- Chaka has Nala's eyes while his sister Shani has their father Simba's eyes.
- Kovu shares Scar's green eyes.
- It's mentioned that Shetani gets her blue eyes from her maternal grandmother.
- For Your Own Good: Chaka angrily tells Shani that Timira was killed in the fire and wasn’t coming back. He says this is to teach her that the world isn't all fun and games.
- Kissing Cousins: Shani and Kovu are love interests despite being first cousins once removed.
- Long-Lost Relative: A major plot-point in the story played out entirely through the decision to recycle Scar’s direct lineage with the Outsiders from the early drafts of “Simba’s Pride.”
- Simba only discovers he has an aunt after he overthrows Scar, as Bianca had married into the royal family when Simba was still in exile.
- Simba hadn’t known that Bianca was pregnant when he exiled her. He doesn't meet his younger cousin Kovu until he's already several months old.
- As if that wasn’t enough, by the time he meets his other cousin Shetani, she’s already a young adult.
- On the flip-side of things, Bianca’s children, (as with the other Outsiders) had in sincerity believed Scar to be the rightful king and that Simba was a rouge who stole his birthright and his subjects. It is novel news when Kovu, and subsequently Shetani, learn that that they had an uncle who was murdered by their father in the pursuit of power - Even more so when they learn that the “rouge” who supposedly killed Scar, the very person that they had been groomed to hate was their cousin, who much like them, was forced into exile for crimes that were not his and was sent to the Pride Lands to avenge his father and take his place.
- Office Romance: Zazu and Binti are in in a relationship when they're tasked with babysitting Shani and Timira.
- Patchwork Kids: Chaka has Simba's features and Nala's green eyes.
- Related in the Adaptation: Kovu is Scar's biological son. Vitani (named Shetani in this rewrite) is also noted to be his daughter.
- Significant Name Overlap:
- Kovu is named “Scar” after his late father.
- Binti and Zazu’s son and daughters are named after Kovu, Shetani, and the late Bianca.
- You Killed My Father: Subverted. It was the hyenas that did Scar in (which was no-one's fault but his own) but neither Shetani and Kovu are aware of this (nor is their mother or any of the other Outsiders). Kovu only finds out the truth from Sarafina.
