After many failed attempts to locate the hidden village and Princess Luna, the mercenaries hired by King Dainn had stopped sending scouting parties into the everfree forest while the rebels had begun their plans to retake Ponyville.

The vikings had begun to build massive longboats to traverse the rivers through the forest and with the help of their allies they could navigate the rivers easily. Like all their ships, the warborn decorated the front of their vessel with a dragon head carving to ward off evil spirits and placed rows of shields on the side to help protect the crew from enemy fire.

"Steady!" A foreman called out as his workers began to hoist up the main mast of the first ship when a certain baby dragon came walking up with a scroll and quill in his hands.

"Wow, that looks great guys!"

"Thanks Spike but are you sure you should be walking around now?" The foreman asked the little drake who gave a cheerful smile.

"I'm fine now and besides, I miss doing this." Spike replied while jotting down a few notes.

"Alright, just take it easy."

Spike had left the foreman and his crew to continue their work while he attented to other duties around the camp now that he was back at full health and as Princess Twilights number one assistant, there was no one better suited to the task of helping organize the army. By the time it had reached noon, Spike was off to Twilights tent for a well deserved nap when he noticed Shining Armor and the other commanders discussing their next move.

"We should march on Canterlot while they're weak." Said Wulfric pointing at the city on the map.

"And risk running into an army of mercs? I'd rather not." Chrysalis argued knowing a full scale assault would be suicide.

"My spies tell me that the city is filled with them. Dainn empties the cities coffers to pay for their army and gives them slaves on a daily basis both old....and young."

"Then there's the city guard. They're the best in the royal army. I should know, I trained them." Shining Armor added while looking over the map.

"Our best course is to break camp and move south."

"Why south?"

"The lands to the south are far too secluded for Dainns armies to reach plus if we stay here we're bound to get overrun, plus we got a lot of mouths to feed."

"Alright. South it is then."

With the leaders in agreement, the council was brought to a close and the leaders returned to their respective camps and prepare their armies to move out.

"Oh Spike, there you are!" The prince called to the little drake as he greeted him with a hug.

"I want you to meet someone. This is Wulfric, the leader of the warborn clan."

"So you're the little one Twilight was so worried about."

Spike saw the caribou standing before him and could not help but feel intimidated. Like all the vikings Spike had seen before, Wulfric was tall, muscular and savage in battle yet what made him so different from the others was his compassion towards his people.

"Hm. Didn't expect him to be so small."

"Hey! I'm not that small!" The little drake protested before having his scales ruffled by the chieftain.

"Mmm...I have twilights report." Spike huffed while handing over the scroll. As Shining Armor read the report, the little dragon walked over towards the map and saw just how much a difference the resistance had made in their battle to free Equestria. Villages that were once used as prison camps had been liberated, trade routes that supplied Dainns armies had been completely cut off and with each victory came more volunteers to join the ever growing army.

"This is amazing!" Spike said in astonishment as Shining Armor joined him.

"This is just the beginning Spike. When we finally take down Dainn, his entire empire will be nothing more than a bad memory."

Hearing those words filled Spike with relief, he wanted nothing more than to see Equestria as it once was; happy and free without any fear and back under the rightful rule of the four princesses.

"Wulfric. How soon can your ships be ready?"

"I'd say within a week or two."

"Good. We need to move out as soon as possible."

The Next Morning

Spike had awoken from his sleep to grab some water from the river with only a few guards keeping watch. After grabbing the nearest bucket, the little drake noticed some fireflies lighting up the field in the distance.

"Pretty lights." He yawned before noticing the lights suddenly fly into the air and swarming towards the camp, that's when he realized that the lights weren't fireflies but flaming arrows that began setting the camp on fire.

"AHHH!!!" Spike screamed as he ran back to Twilights tent while the guards began sounding the alarm.

"Get those fires out! Move it!!" Shouted sergeant Quartz who was first on the scene.

In the midst of the chaos, a band of mercs suddenly swarmed into the camp and began killing the guards while snaring the fleeing refugees. Quartz and a few of his men rushed to their defense as the rest of their troops began to take up arms against the attackers but their numbers seemed to grow with each wave of assault.

"There's too many, we can't fight them all!"

"Send word to princess luna! Tell her we need reinforcements!!"

A scout had managed to break through the battlefield and ran into the everfree forest to get help but with each passing second, the enemies attacks grew more fierce.

"Everyone! THIS IS WAR! THIS IS DEATH!!" The leader of the mercenaries shouted from atop the hill as he began to rouse his troops into a frenzy.

"Slaughter every man, woman and child you see! Let their deaths serve as a message to all who dare to stand against our one true leader! Dainn Stonehoof!!"

The mercenaries had begun to amass for one finall attack when they heard the feint beating of wardrums in the distance followed by the sound of a horn call and as the sun began to break over the horizon they saw several banners flying in the wind atop a nearby hill followed by legions of armored dragons and war machines.

"Welcome my friends! You are just in time for the slaughter!" The merc leader shouted to his new reinforcements before he was suddenly struck down by a javelin. The mercenaries were shocked as their leader laid there in a pool of his own blood before a rain of arrows came falling down upon them followed by several volleys of the legions ballistae that decimated huge numbers of their ranks.

As the mercs began to panic, the leader of the dragon legion stepped forward with a sword raised high and signaled for them to advance on the enemy.

"LOCK SHIELDS!" The commander shouted in a female voice, much to the enemies surprise. In loud clap of thunder, the soldiers locked their shields together to create one massive wall of iron and spears as they drew closer to the enemy.

"What are you idiots standing around for?!? Get them!" Shouted another captain as he tried to lead a countercharge only to have his men impaled by spears and swords hidden under the shield wall before being struck down by the commanders blade.

"RETREAT!!" After seeing another one of their leaders slain, the army of mercenaries finally broke ranks and fled for their lives.

By some miracle, the rebel army had survived the attack and all thanks to the arrival of their new allies. In the moments after the battle, the allies had begun to gather their dead and make repairs to the camp while Shining Armor and the other leaders went to greet the legions commander.

"My thanks friend!" Said Shining Armor who was greeted with a salute before the commander finally removed her helmet to reveal an all too familiar face.

"EMBER!!" Spike shouted with joy after seeing the face of his friend; Princess Ember of the dragon lands. The little drake greeted her with a friendly hug and a smile.

"It's good to see you too Spike." The princess said with a smile as she hugged her friend.

"What are you doing here?" Shining Armor inquired when he spotted Princess Luna and a few of her guards marching through the burned camp with the scout that had been sent to them during the start of the battle.

"She called us." Ember said as she bowed to Luna.

"I am glad you could answer my summons Princess Ember. You arrived just in time, it seems." Luna said as she surveyed the burnt camp and dead soldiers being carried away.

"I am sorry we couldn't get here sooner, Shining Armor."

"Nothing to apologize for. We were just caught off guard." Shining Armor replied while wiping off the sweat from his brow.

"Your warriors fought valiantly, even against such impossible odds but I'm sure you all are tired. My men can help with the dead."

Shining Armor humbly accepted Luna's offer and allowed her men to assist with the cleanup and by the time the sun was at its highest point the number of dead tallied in the thousands. The allies had won another great victory but his time at a great cost.

"No way we can march on Canterlot now. Even with our new reinforcements." Said Wulfric who was drinking mead from a large horn with a few of his best fighters next to him.

"Chieftain! We got a problem!" A soldier cried out as he ran towards his leader.

"What is it?"

"It's Prince Blueblood my lord. He was spotted fleeing over the hillside during the battle!"

"WHAT?!?"

Upon hearing this news, Wulfric tossed aside his drinking horn and stormed into Shining Armors camp where he found two guards with their throats slit open and the ropes that once bound Bluebloods hands had been cut clean off.

"Send word to Shining Armor. The attack was a trick!"

When Shining Armor received this news he became as furious as his viking friend. Even Princess Luna began to regret sparing his life and wished she had killed him when she had the chance.

"My men say that Blueblood swiped our battle plans during the attack. By now he's in Canterlot, giving them to Dainn."

"Nothing we can do about it now." Chrysalis admitted before sipping some wine to relieve a headache.

Canterlot

As Shining Armor predicted, Blueblood had rushed to Canterlot Castle holding the battle plans of the rebel army in hopes of making up for his failure to capture his aunt. As he was brought before the king, the prince fell to his knees and groveled before the tyrant who seemed rather displeased with the prince.

"You got some nerve showing your face here boy." Dainn said in a spiteful manner before drinking some wine.

"I should have you executed not only for your incompetince but for losing my two prized war bears!!"

"My lord, please show mercy." The prince whimpered as he held up the rolled map in his shaking hands.

"I brought you this, the rebels battle plans."

Out of curiousity, Dainn snatched the map from Blueblood and looked at the plans himself. A smile began to creep onto the tyrants face as he gestured for the prince to rise up and look him in the eye.

"Well done Blueblood. I will spare you...this time."

"Thank you sire!" The prince whimpered in a cheerful manner knowing he was spared the kings wrath but even in his mercy, Dainn asserted his authority as ruler by siezing the princes throat and slowly choke him.

"But fail me again and I will personally. Place your head on a pike and leave your corpse to be fucked by the dogs!"

"Yes....my king."

Dainn then released Blueblood and ordered for his servants to take the prince to be bathed and fed while he assembled his generals to make plans against the rebels now that he knew their every move.

End.