With the camp in ruins and the army now crippled, the allied forces were forced to speed up their plans to move south and regroup along with Princess Ember and her dragon legion. The journey began as soon as the last of the refugees were loaded onto the viking ships while the rest travelled by air and on foot.

"Be sure to stick close to the army at all times! Do not wander off!" An officer shouted from atop a boulder while some of the soldiers began helping the civilians move along. The path to the south was on harsh terrain filled with rocky hills and damp marshlands since they could not risk taking the main road and throughout the journey, Ember saw just how much Dainns cruelty affected the ponies of Equestria.

"I wish we'd have gotten here sooner." She sighed.

"It's not your fault Ember." Spike answered while taking a back seat on a wagon as he enjoyed some bread and cheese.

"You know what I miss? Cupcakes!" The little drake slurped his lips as he imagined the taste along with a few of the men who nodded in agreement.

"Oh! Especially the cream filled kind." A soldier added and the mood seemed to lighten up until one of the vikings began to complain as his stomach let out a loud growl.

"Can we not talk about food? I'm dying here!"

"Don't you guys go to some dining hall when you die?" Marshall inquired as they continued.

"Valhalla, yes. But we have to die in battle! NOT of starvation!"

"Well you're fighting hunger. Maybe the gods will make an exception." A second viking joked and in an instant the men began to burst into laughter along with a few civilians, it was good to see that they hand't lost their sense of humor in such dark times.

After a long days travel, the army had set up camp near a shallow bend in the river and thanks to the rugged terrain they had only needed to post a few guards while the civilians helped prepare the soldiers dinner.

"Is dinner ready yet mommy?" A colt asked his mother who was stirring some soup in a small cauldron.

"It's almost ready dear. Go wash your hands by the river." The mother replied with a gentle smile as her child went to go wash his hands. Things seemed quiet until the little one let out a terrified shriek and soldiers came rushing onto the scene.

"What's going on?!?" Shouted the first guard when the child pointed to a half eaten carcass just on the rivers edge and next to it a giant paw print. A small crowd had gathered before Wulfric was called to examine the carcass himself and after careful examination, the chieftain was able to determine what predator made this kill.

"A bear....big one." He said aloud while placing his hand on the print.

"Tracks are still warm, this kill was made recently."

With his keen eyesight, Wulfric was able to pick up the bears trail across the river and called for one of his men to bring him some arrows and a hatchet.

"Wait. You're going after it?" Asked Rainbow Dash who wasn't sure about her friends idea.

"No other choice. He's down wind of us and when he smells the food he'll be back." Wulfric replied as he fashioned the quiver to his back before giving Applejack a goodbye kiss.

"I'll be back in the morning."

"Just be careful." The farm mare advised before letting him run off into the woods to go hunting.

"If we're gone by the time you get back, just follow the river!" Shining Armor shouted to his friend just before he faded into the shadow of the trees.

Wulfric had tracked the bear deep into the forest as he followed its trail when he finally discovered the creatures den in a large cave. All around, bones and rotting carcasses surrounded the cavern entrance amd from what Wulfric saw, some of the corpses were those of unfortunate travelers caught by the beast.

"He must be huge to make this many kills." He whispered to himself before hearing a twig snap followed by the distinct grunting of a bear pacing through the trees.

Wulfric quickly ducked behind the tree nearest to the cave and readied an arrow as the noise grew louder but as he prepared to fire, everything fell silent as if the bear had just vanished. Wulfric looked around to see where the beast had went but found no trace of it and that is when he felt the bears nostrils breathing down his back followed by a low growl as its drooling maw came into view.

"Clever beast...!!"

ROAAR!!

The bear was indeed massive as clamped its jaws around Wulfrics bow and began wrestling him around the entrance to the den and throwing him into a tree before breaking the bow in two with one crunch of its jaws. As he reeled from the pain in his back, Wulfric was finally able to get a good look at the beast and saw what could only be described as a monster.

The bear stood ten feet tall and had paws that could crush a grown mans skull, it's fur was thick and dark as the night sky and had teeth sharp enough to cut through steel but what was most intimidating were the claw marks on its face. No doubt from fighting another bear.

"So you wanna play rough eh?" The chieftain asked the beast while pulling out his hatchet.

"COME GET ME THEN YA BASTARD!!"

RAAGH!!

With one powerful sweep of its claws, the bear cleaved the tree in two while Wulfric ducked to the side delivering a slice to the bears left hind leg yet the pain only seem to enrage the beast even more as it reared up and began to roar with fury before leaving several cuts in the chieftains chest.

"GAGH!!"

The pain of the cuts was almost unbearable to handle but thanks to his viking spirit, Wulfric grinned at the beast before tackling it into a nearby rock as they grappled once more. The two tussled with each other for what seemed like hours as they came upon a ledge that hung above a small river leaving the chieftain no more chances to escape.

"Crap..." Wulfric cussed as the bear came into view with fresh cuts on its body.

Both Wulfric and the bear stood across each other covered in bleeding cuts and dirt as they tried to catch their breath. As they prepared for one final clash, Wulfric smiled in acknowledgement of the beasts strength.

"You are truly a worthy foe. Your pelt will make a fine trophy for my beloved!"

ROOOAAARRRR!!

"WAAAAAGGH!!"

Wulfric charged at the beast with all his might but was ultimately overpwered and sent falling into the river while the bear stood on its hind legs to give a thundering roar that echoed through the forest.

The bear returned to its den to lick its wounds while Wulfric was carried down river completely exhausted from battle. As the currents carried his body downstream, the chieftain fell in and out of consciousness while sounds around him began to fade in and out as if he was on the verge between life and death. He soon began to hear voices echo in his head, voices that were not familiar to him.

By the time he had awoken, Wulfric found himself in what looked like a small tent and outside he could hear the sound of ponies talking and children laughing but what surprised him most was that his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged.

"Where am I?"

"You are in our village." A kindly voice answered as a mare came into the room with a tray of food.

She was a unicorn with a magenta colored mane and cerise eyes, her voice was gentle and sweet along with her smile as she layed the tray in front of him.

"Thank you."

"No problem. My name is Sugar Belle and you are?" She asked kindly while pulling up a chair.

"Wulfric." He replied while carefully examining his food until the mare next to him began to giggle.

"Don't worry it's not poisoned. You're not the only caribou here."

When Sugar Belle said those words, Wulfric was a bit surprised since most ponies were hesitant to approach those of his kind.

"There are others like me living here?"

"Yes. When Dainn took over, a lot of his people went into hiding here in the forest and they took some of us with them." Sugar Belles voice held a slight hint of sadness when she began to remember her village being destroyed by the stonehooves and her friends being taken from her one by one.

"Once you're done, you can just leave the tray."

"Thank you."

As Wulfric began to enjoy his meal, a voice called out to Sugar Belle followed by a name that made the chieftain almost choke on his first bite.

"Sugar Belle?" A deep voice called from outside with a distinct country accent.

"Coming Big Mac!" Sugar Belle called back with a smile just before she heard Wulfric gagging on the spoon.

"Oh my goodness!"

The mare quickly wrapped her arms around his torso and began the heimlich maneuver until the spoon shot out with a slight pop as Wulfric began to gasp for air.

"Are you alright?" She inquired while rubbing his back.

"I'm fine. Did you say Big Mac? As in Big Macintosh?" Wulfric asked with a bit of urgency in his voice.

"Well yes. I'm his marefriend." She replied with a happy smile.

"Are you a friend of his?"

"Not exactly. I gotta see him and tell him-AGH!!"

Wulfric grunted from the pain of his injuries as he tried to get out of bed but Sugar Belle was not going to allow him to walk around in such a state.

"You eat up and rest. I'll bring Big Mac to you later, I promise."

Wulfric did as he was told and rested up until his strength returned. When he was finally able to move about, the chieftain stepped outside to find himself in a small village much like Princess Luna's and it was just like Sugar Belle told him; Other caribou were living in this village and many of them had children who were playing in the streets.

"This is incredible." He said to himself when he noticed Sugar Belle giving water to a large red stallion with a yellow mane who was chopping wood.

"That must be him. Excuse me? Are you Big Mac?"

The stallion turned to see who was calling out to him before looking back at Sugar Belle who gave an assuring nod before he answered.

"Eeyup. Sugar Belle said you had something to tell me."

"Yes. It's about your sister; Applejack."

Before he could say another word, Big Macintosh grabbed Wulfric by the shoulders looking shocked as he began to ask a series of questions.

"Where is Applejack? Is she alright? Is she alive?!?"

"Easy big guy!" Wulfric replied as he laughed at Big Macs enthusiasm before they all sat down to hear his story. By the time Wulfric had finished his tale, Big Macintosh and Sugar Belle sighed with relief knowing that Applejack was alive and well and helping in the fight to win back Equestria's freedom.

"Applebloom will be so happy to hear this!" Said Sugar Belle wiping a tear from her eye.

"Oh right. Where is she?" Big Mac asked when he noticed it was getting close to noon.

"She's out gathering firewood, she'll be back soon."

At that moment, the entire village heard the terrified scream of a child and instantly recognized it as Appleblooms before hearing the roar of a bear.

"Applebloom!!"

"I recognize that sound!!" Wulfric growled in anger as he grabbed an axe and ran towards the source of the scream along with Sugar Belle and Big Mac following close behind. The three heard a second scream before stumbling across young Applebloom trapped in a tree with an injured bear trying to shake her down.

"No! Applebloom!!" Big Mac was prepared to rush in when Wulfric stopped him.

"You're no good to her dead! I'll distract the bear, you two grab the filly and run back for help."

"You sure?" Sugar Belle asked as Wulfric removed his bandages to move more freely.

"Oh I'm sure and besides, me and him have a score to settle."

As Wulfric stepped forward, the bear turned his attention away from the crying filly to see his old foe standing before him.

"You remember me?" He asked the beast while pointing at the three claw marks on his chest.

"Cause I sure as hell remember you ya hairy bastard!"

The bear let out a low growl after seeing the three claw marks on Wulfric and began to remember the pain it felt from his axe as the wounds began to flare up again.

RAAAGH!!

"YAAGH!!"

Just like before, Wulfric charged the bear head on with the axe held tight in his grip while Big Mac and Sugar Belle used this chance to take Applebloom to safety.

"Come on sweetie." Sugar Belle whispered to the weeping filly as Big Mac handed her over.

"Let's get back to the village."

Big Mac lead the way as they snuck around the battlefield while Wulfric dealt with the bear. Applebloom watched as the chieftain grappled with the beast from the safety of Sugar Belles arms.

"Who is that?" The filly asked while continuing to watch the fight.

"He's a friend." Sugar Belle whispered back just as they faded from view.

With Applebloom safe, Wulfric was now able to focus on his fight with the bear and this time he would not allow it to escape. The beast raised its paw to deliver a killing blow when the chieftain suddenly tackled him off his feet and sent him crashing against a large boulder before breaking its maw with a bone crunching knee bash. The impact had knocked the bear for a loop as its world began to spin.

"That all ya got? HUH?!?" He taunted the beast as it regained its vision but Wulfric was careful not to be reckless for the only thing more dangerous than a beast is an injured one on the verge of death.

In a last effort to slay his foe, the bear charged forward in a blind fury with a terrifying roar but instead of running, Wulfric dodged to the side and gave a mighty swing of his axe. After burying his blade in its skull, Wulfric stepped back and watched the bear stumbled forward as it let out a cry of anguish before sliding into the dirt and huffing out its last breath.

"Hrrr...VALHALLAAAAAAA! HA HAA!!! RAAAAAAGH!!!"

Consumed by the thrill of battle, Wulfric placed his foot on the neck of the slain beast as he let out a triumphant war cry with both fists raised in the air. The villagers who had heard his cries rushed over and could not believe what they were seeing, a monstrous bear slain by a single warrior.

"He killed it?!?" One shouted in astonishment as they drew closer to the dead beast with the axe still buried in its skull.

"By Celestia...." Said another who saw the warrior that had slain the bear covered in mud, twigs and blood yet still standing.

Later

Applebloom could not stop herself from crying after experiencing something so frightening but her brother didn't care, he was just happy that she was safe and unharmed.

"Thank you." He told Wulfric who had just finished washing off the mud from his fur.

"Don't mention it. Though I'll admit, that bear was one tough bastard!" He replied while rubbing some tension out of his shoulder.

"So what happens now?"

"I've been gone too long, I need to get back to the others or they'll leave without me."

"Can't you stay?" Asked Applebloom with a pleading look when Wulfric rubbed her head gently.

"I'd love to Applebloom but I can't leave my clan to fight this war alone. They're my family and speaking of family, your sister Applejack would love to see you again."

When Applebloom heard this her heart began to race with excitement, she wanted nothing more than to see her big sister again after all this time.

"And I'm gonna need some help carrying that bear back to camp. Big Mac, you and Sugar Belle care to join?"

Big Mac hesitated for a moment since he didn't really know Wulfric and he didn't want to risk getting Sugar Belle or Applebloom into danger.

"Please big brother?" Pleaded Applebloom who gave the stallion the infamous puppy dog eyes which he could not resist.

"Alright." The stallion sighed in defeat as his little sister ran off to pack her things.

Campsite

By the time the sun was high, the entire camp was preparing for another long trek through the fores. Only Applejack stood by the rivers edge as she waited for Wulfric and began to fear the worst.

"Applejack, come on. We gotta get moving." Said Rainbow Dash who had just finished loading the last of the supplies on the boats.

"Wulfric said he'd be back by morning, it's almost noon." Applejack sighed before noticing her lover coming out of the bushes with the three distinct claw marks on his chest.

"Where in the hayseed have you been?!? I was worried sick!" She shouted to him feeling slightly angered yet all Wulfric did was smile as the carcass of the large bear came into view followed by the stallion holding it.

"I uh...stopped to meet the family." Wulfric finally responded as he gestured for Big Mac to go over and greet his little sister.

Applejacks heart began to race as tears started to form in her eyes. She had thought that this was some kind of dream; That the moment she held her brothers hand, he would vanish in a cloud of dust but the moment Big Mac held her she knew this was no dream and allowed herself to cry her eyes out.

"It's alright sis...i'm here now." Big Mac whispered as he held her tight while crying tears of his own but that was just the start of Applejacks joy.

"Applejack!" Called the voice of a little filly followed by the sound of running footsteps as Big Mac moved aside to reveal little Applebloom running towards her big sister.

"APPLEJACK!!"

Applejack dropped to her knees with arms wide open as her little sister leaped into them with a tearful smile. She had forgotten how good it felt to hold Applebloom in her arms again as they held each other tight.

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too sugarcube..."

As Applejack held her little sister, she was greeted by another familiar face as Sugar Belle came out of the forest escorting an elderly mare.

"Oh...bless my soul...Applejack!" The old mare weeped happily before gently hugging her.

"Granny!"

Even after all this time, Applejack could never forget the face of her beloved Granny Smith. After a year of war and suffering, the Apple Family was finally back together again and this time they were going to stay together no matter what.

End.

Author's Notes:

over 3000 words, 126 paragraphs, hours upon hours of brainstorming.

My best work.