Stiffener Meddick and the other hares who had escaped with him had been hiding with a tribe of otters that lived in a cave by the sea called the Bark Crew. One day Stiffener got a text from Fleetscut that said, "GOOD NEWS. I HAVE FOUND LORD STONEPAW'S SON, LORD BROCKTREE, AN' WE'RE HEADIN' BACK 2 SALAMANDASTRON 2 SAVE U ALL, WOT. Oh sorry, I had me blinkin' caps lock on, lol."

"Then y didn't u go back an' turn it off?" Stiffener texted back.

"Couldn't b bothered, old chap. I'm in rather a hurry, don't u know."

Stiffener had not used his phone since Ungatt Trunn had seized Salamandastron, because he was afraid of being tracked, but now that help was on the way he felt safe enough. He excitedly typed, "Are there any other hares w/ u?"

"Oh, yes, lol, we've got a whole army of Scottish hares w/ us, wot wot. 😊"

"OMG!"

"But I haven't told u the best part, Stiff old boy. We also have some ponies w/ us, an' they're gonna help us out."

"Ponies? U mean, like horses?"

"Yes, but these r actually some amazin' an' talented creatures. We've got earth ponies who r really strong, pegasi, who r ponies with wings an' excellent fighters, an' unicorns w/ magical powers. Then there are 2 ponies called alicorns who have both wings AND UNICORN HORNS OH SORRY CAPS LOCK IS ON AGAIN."

"Gr8." Stiffener wrote.

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The inside of Salamandastron had become a very different place. Dirt and dust were everywhere. Vermin lounged around all over the place. Ungatt Trunn's spiders had spun webs in nearly every corner. The walls were covered with animal racial slurs like "Stripedog" and "Longears," and there was even a caricature of Lord Stonepaw drawn on a door, giving him a wobbly fat drooping nose. Ungatt sat on Stonepaw's old throne, drinking coffee and reveling in his newfound power. A hooded figure stood nearby. Then a rat named Ripfang poked his head into the doorway.

"Sire, I've found somethin' on the computer that you should see!" Ripfang knew all about computers because he had once been a pirate, downloading illegal music and videos.

"All right, lead me to it," said Ungatt Trunn, getting up. "But I warn you, if this turns out to be useless nonsense, you will feed the spiders, like that hare over there." He waved a paw in the direction of the corner, where the half eaten carcass of Sailears lay in a spider web. Ungatt had put it there after Karangool had accidently drowned Sailears.

Ripfang swallowed. "Ye won't be disappointed, Sire. I found out where the escaped rabbets were 'iding. I can show yer now."

Ungatt Trunn followed him to the secret war room deep inside the mountain, where the Badger Lords kept their computers and lasers and an XBOX 360.

"I don't see any hares in here!" the cat said threateningly.

"It shows where they are on the computer, Sire," Ripfang stammered nervously.

"Which computer? This one?" Ungatt asked. Ripfang nodded. Ungatt Trunn sat down in front of the computer and set his coffee mug in the cup holder. At least he thought it was a cup holder. It was really the disk drive. Ripfang knew better than to point this out, though. Correcting Ungatt Trunn would result in instant death.

"I don't see anything," the cat complained cattily.

"You 'ave ter use the mouse," the rat explained patiently.

"What mouse? I see no mouse!"

"It's this liddle cursor thing right 'ere." Ripfang guided Ungatt Trunn's paw to it. Ungatt pressed the mouse against the computer screen.

"What's going on? Why isn't anything happening? I hate this! I hate all technology! We don't even use computers in this time period, and they don't use them on My Little Pony either!"

"True, but we don't 'ave guns in this time period either, an' Swartt Sixclaw still used one in the other story, Outcast of Equestria," Ripfang said. Ungatt glared at him. "Look, I'll show yer 'ow t'do this, Sire." Ripfang used the mouse in the proper way, and pulled up the program that the Badger Lords used to track their hares' cell phones.

"See, one o' the rabbets used their phone to send a text from right 'ere a minute ago. That means they're prob'ly still there. Me an' my brother Doomeye passed that cave on our way 'ere to join you, so I recognize the spot."

The cat rubbed his paws together. "Excellent. You've done something right for once, Ripfang. You and I will take thirty soldiers and go down there to wipe those losers out once and for all."

They rounded up a score and a half of Blue Hordebeasts including Ripfang's brother Doomeye. Then they marched down to the beach.

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The otters and hares were eating breakfast in their cave when a heron flew in panickingly. "Ahoy there, Rulango," called Brogalaw, the otter leader. "Wot's up?"

The heron, Rulango, began sketching a series of pictures in the sand with a stick. Brogalaw was the only creature who knew how to read his writing. He examined it with trepidation.

"Oh no!" he cried. "There's a party of thirty blue bottoms left the mountain at dawn. Rulango reckons they're 'eaded thisaways!"

"Must be a foragin' party," said a hare named Willip.

Stiffener shook his head sadly. "I don't think so, marm. I got a text message from Fleetscut this morning sayin' that he was on his way back 'ere with a new Badger Lord and an army of hares and magical ponies. I was so excited that I sent him a text back. Ungatt Trunn must've used it to find our location."

"How can they find you from a text message?" asked one of the otters.

"Anybeast can track a cell phone because they send out invisible signals," Willip explained. "And Lord Stonepaw had a special program on his computer that would show the locations of any of our phones. That way, if one of us was on a patrol and got into trouble, he would've been able to find us and send help, wot. The bally vermin must've figured out how to use it."

"I was so sure we were safe now because there was help comin'," said Stiffener. "That's why I felt confident enough to send a text. Now it looks like I've killed us all."

"Well, I 'ope the help comes soon," said Brogalaw. "But Rulango says there's only thirty vermin coming, so there ain't too many more o' them than there are of us. Mebbe we can beat 'em. I think the best thing to do is come out an' meet them head-on so we won't get trapped in 'ere."

Stiffener bit his lip. "I'm with you, mate! Best go north, away from the direction of our cave."

All the otters and hares who were fit enough to fight headed down to the shore. They left Rulango the heron behind in the cave to guard the otter babies, the Dibbuns. They concealed the entrance to the cave with big boulders.

When they reached a circle of rocks on the sand, they heard voices chanting. "Ungatt! Trunn Trunn Trunn!"

Brogalaw's grip tightened around the javelin which he always carried with him. "Haharr, it won't be much longer now, mates. 'Ear 'em getting their nerve up to charge."

The speed and volume of the chant increased.

"Ungatt! Trunn Trunn Trunn! Ungatt! Trunn Trunn Trunn!"

From the rock circle the otters and hares answered with their own defiant war cry.

"Blood 'n' vinegar! Eulalia!"

Stiffener centered an arrow on the dark forms breaking cover. "Stand fast, mates, 'ere they come!"

The vermin charged.