It was just 3 in the morning when the first French troops arrived in the Out Lands. Some of them were able to speak a little bit of English and were able to communicate with the ARO troops and generals, however the others needed translators in order to know what was being said.
Commander McCoy came out of his quarters to meet with the French army. He was introduced to a young high ranking general named Joseph Dubois. He was put in charge of all of the French soldiers by the French Government, because he was a really smart man who went to one of the best military schools in the whole country, some people even considered him to be the modern Napoleon.
"Hello general, I am Commander McCoy of the ARO." Said Commander McCoy. "It is an honor to meet you, Mister McCoy." Said General Dubois. General Dubois had a very thick French accent, but everyone was still able to understand his English, and Dubois could understand them. Commander McCoy then explained that he had already planned out another attack on the Pride Lands. "We are all's ready to do our part, Mister McCoy." Said General Dubois. "Good. So since it is the middle of the night, everything in the Pride Lands should be asleep right now. I propose that we stage a surprise attack on them now, because they will be completely unprepared, and they will not be able to get into the fighting positions that they're comfortable with." Said Commander McCoy.
Everyone began to look at one another, and they all seemed to agree with Commander McCoy's plan. "This surprise attack may sound like a long shot to a lot of you, but I think if God is with us, it can be won." Said Commander McCoy. "Now, I am putting General Dubois in charge of any and all soldiers participating in the attack. Under his command you will go to Kilio Valley and join up with another small force waiting there. Now since General Dubois is being put in charge of this attack, you are all to follow any orders he gives to you without question. Nobody is to countermand his orders except me!" Said Commander McCoy sternly.
About an hour went by, and all of the ARO and French soldiers were marching to the Pride Lands preparing to attack. General Dubois had ordered all of the ARO soldiers to go up front and that all of the French soldiers be in the back. That way, the Pride Landers would think the army is much weaker and smaller then it appears, which will lure them in.
Not before long, Ono spotted the approaching army during his early morning fly. He quickly went to Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard, they then left to go face the army. As the Lion Guard approached the area, they saw the flag of the ARO waving through the air, and they knew that they were getting closer, but unknown to them, that's exactly what General Dubois was hoping they would do.
"Till the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!" The Lion Guard started attacking the ARO army, and the French army took cover behind a bunch of overgrown trees. At first the Lion Guard was being pushed back, but then they started doing well as the ARO soldiers began to retreat backwards.
Of course the ARO was just the sideshow of this attack, the French were the main show. "Well guys, it seems that we've won!" Said Kion. "Yeah! And you didn't even have to use the Roar!" Said Bunga. But then suddenly, General Dubois gave the attack order to his men. "Qu'ils l'aient!" He shouted, which is French for "Let them have it".
All of the French came out of their hiding spots, and ran to the Lion Guard while bombarding them with bullets from their muskets. The Lion Guard was completely taken by surprise by this. "Hapana!! Where did these guys come from!?" Asked Ono. "I'm not sure! But we have to fight!" Said Kion. That's when the ARO flag was brought down and then replaced by the French tricolor. "What in the Pride Lands?" Kion asked himself. Fortunately for the Lion Guard, more Pride Landers from around the area began to join in on the fighting, but General Dubois quickly thought of another idea.
He kept moving his men to the animals, and then in a signature Napoleon move, he successfully split the animals in two. Without the Lion Guard by their side, the animals quickly gave up and retreated, the Lion Guard of course persisted and kept fighting the French troops.
Eventually the French began to counter the Lion Guard on all sides, and Kion couldn't find any potential victory in sight. The Lion Guard quickly slipped out from the French's grasp, and began to retreat back to Pride Rock. But General Dubois and his men weren't done yet, they wanted to keep going after the Lion Guard, and that's what they did. They began tearing through the Pride Lands with relentless force unlike anything the Pride Landers had ever seen before.
"Why are they running after us!? Haven't they already won!?" Asked Fuli. Soon enough the Lion Guard came back to Pride Rock where Simba, Nala, and Kiara were waiting for them. The French were told about Pride Rock and how much it meant to the Pride Lands, they knew they would not give up Pride Rock without a fight, and they were right. And so began the First Battle of Pride Rock.
Scores of ARO and French soldiers started attacking Pride Rock with everything they had, while the Lion Guard and the rest of the Pride Landers were doing their best to defend it. Simba, Nala, and Kiara were all camped out inside the den watching the bloody battle unfold. Kiara cried as Nala held her in her paws.
Back on the battle field, the 16 year old ARO soldier Billy Jonze was charging to Pride Rock but was met with the horns of a gazelle. He was forced to duck down behind a rock and shoot at the animals with his flintlock pistol. Billy scanned the plains and then saw Kion shooing off a few soldiers away from Pride Rock with his claws. Billy loaded up his pistol, and then shot Kion right in the thigh.
"Kion!!!" Shouted Simba. Simba quickly ran out of the den and onto the battlefield to get Kion. "Simba no!!!" Shouted Nala. Simba grabbed Kion into his mouth and started running back up into the den. Simba was almost shot himself multiple times, but he managed to dodge every single bullet that flew his way.
What was left of the Lion Guard and the Pride Landers kept on defending Pride Rock, and eventually the ARO and French both ran out of ammunition, and had to retreat, but General Dubois decided instead of retreating all the way back to the Out Lands, they could settle in for a siege around Pride Rock, and then they could attack it again once more ammunition arrives.
And so that's what happened next. The joint ARO and French army settled in for a siege along the borders of the Pride Rock area, the siege expanded from the end of the Big Ravine all the way up to the Ukuni Woods.
The capture of Pride Rock may have been a small failure, but the French and ARO still managed to capture and occupy the Mud Pots, the Flat Ridged Rock, a quarter of the Chakula Plains, the Lake Kiziwa, the Embamba Canyon, and the Mbali Fields. 20% of the Pride Lands was now under claim, and in all occupied territories flew the ARO flag and the French tricolor.
This was the Pride Land's most devastating defeat yet. A lot of their food sources had just been severed, and almost 200 Pride Landers had lost their homes. As for Kion, he couldn't walk as he needed to rest up in order for his thigh to heal. Late into the night, the ARO and French soldiers all celebrated their victory by throwing drinking parties and singing patriotic songs, both in English and French.
Morale in the Pride Lands had really plummeted after this awful defeat, but Simba and Nala both made speeches to the Pride Landers from off of Pride Rock telling them not to give up hope and not to loose faith. As for the ARO, morale was at an all time high, and a lot of soldiers who were planning on deserting reconsidered on staying. Commander McCoy was really happy at all of this good news, but he knew that they weren't out of the woods yet, eventually the Pride Landers would strike back and probably beat them. So Commander McCoy thought of a way to better their chances of winning the war, that they would not only need the assistance of a European superpower, but they would also need the assistance of a global one.
They needed to get assistance from none other, then the United States of America.