The ARO had just scored itself a major prize in the wake of the massacre, with the United States joining the war. The Pride Lands now had to go up against a global superpower with one of the strongest militaries in the world. The ARO also began using the massacre as the basis for it's propaganda posters encouraging men to enlist into the army.
Despite the ARO getting the United States to join their side, things still weren't going very well for them. They had just suffered a horrible defeat in Kilio Valley, which forced them to retreat from the area. But at least the elephants had finally gotten their home back.
Commander McCoy knew he had to get the army to hold it's ground for just a little while longer until the American troops arrived. Commander McCoy then got a knock at his door, it was Marshal Wolsey. "What is it, Wolsey?" Asked Commander McCoy. "Sir, we have just spotted a mandrill sitting on a rock not very far from here. We believe he's the same mandrill who killed the emperor." Said Marshal Wolsey. "If that mandrill really is the same one who killed Emperor Muantero, then we have to get over there right away and execute him for his crime." Said Commander McCoy.
"Well sir, you realize getting to him will be quite hard with the Lion Guard roaming the area." Said Wolsey. "Then perhaps we can use the French forces as a decoy while our men take care of the mandrill. Tell General Dubois to go get his troops ready." Said Commander McCoy. "Yes sir." Said Marshal Wolsey.
Meanwhile in the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard had decided to end their patrol early, and just hang out over by a large pond. Bunga was jumping out of the trees, and Fuli was trying her best not to get splashed. Meanwhile in the Chakula Plains, Thruston and the other zebras were enjoying the fresh grass, when suddenly General Dubois and his army arrived with muskets loaded.
"Oh dear! It's those funny talking humans with the boom-boom sticks! Panic and run! Panic and run!" Said Thruston. All the zebras quickly ran away as the French troops were shooting at them. Some of the zebras were shot down, but Thruston managed to get away and alert the Lion Guard. They quickly ran over to the Chakula Plains and started to battle the French.
"Hurry! Load up that canon and aim it at the Lion with the roar!" Said General Dubois in French. "What did he say?" Asked Bunga. "I don't know! They speak in some kind of weird language!" Said Ono. Some time later, Commander McCoy lead his men into the Pride Lands and started making their way to Rafiki.
Rafiki was taken by surprise, but quickly started to fight back against the soldiers with his staff. It was just like how he fought the hyenas back when Simba returned to the Pride Lands for his throne. It was much harder to kill Rafiki then Commander McCoy had thought, which really irritated him. Back at the other battle, when Ono flew up into the sky to find any advantage points for the Lion Guard, he saw the ARO troops attacking Rafiki.
"Kion! Kion! Some of those human troops are attacking Rafiki!" Said Ono. "Rafiki!? Hevi kabisa! We have to go help him! Lion Guard, follow me!" Said Kion. As the Lion Guard ran away, General Dubois commanded his telegraph operators to send an emergency message to Commander McCoy's forces.
Unfortunately, General Dubois' telegraph operators could only speak French, so the message was also sent in French. Once the message got to Commander McCoy's operators, they had trouble translating it.
"Okay, I am really sick and tired of these French operators. They don't speak english, and we have to translate every message." Said one operator. "I know. "La Garde du Lion arrive chez vous", what the hell does that mean?" Asked the second operator. Suddenly, two ARO soldiers saw the Lion Guard approaching. "The Lion Guard coming off the north-east!" Said one of the soldiers. "Till the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!!!"
Commander McCoy freaked out, and he started sending a portion of his men to face the Lion Guard while the rest handled Rafiki. The two separate armies tried mimicking the French's strategy by keeping Rafiki separated from the Lion Guard. But it was no use, Rafiki joined up with the Lion Guard and they all started fighting together.
Eventually, General Dubois got to the battle with his army and they all preformed a bayonet charge down a large hill, though they weren't really able to get the Lion Guard. The French had no choice but to just shoot at the Lion Guard like the ARO troops were.
The ARO and French forces got backed up into a corner, and Commander McCoy was starting to fear possible capture. Several attempts to beat back the Lion Guard had failed, and hope for the army was looking quite dim. "Kion, roar them out of here!" Said Fuli. "Okay Fuli! Everyone stand back!" Said Kion. But that's when the battle took a sudden turn.
From over a hillside came another large army of men, but they weren't ARO soldiers, nor were they French soldiers. These men were dressed in blue, wearing mitre caps on their heads which had the American flag on the front, and shiny silver belt buckles that had eagles on them, and had the words: In God We Trust spelled out on them. These were the long awaited U.S soldiers.
The American army was led by a man named Patrick Washington. (And before you ask, no, he is not related to George Washington). "Men! Divide and attack!" Said General Washington. "Poa, who are these guys?" Asked Beshte. "I'm not sure. But they're coming right for us!" Said Kion. The U.S soldiers preformed a two pronged attack by dividing themselves into two armies and quickly surrounded the Lion Guard.
"Kion, what do we do!? We're trapped!" Said Bunga. "I got this! Twende kiboko!" Said Beshte, as he plowed himself through the American troops. They fell down into a pond and the Lion Guard used that opportunity to make a run for it along with Rafiki. "Everyone! After them!" Said Commander McCoy.
The ARO French and U.S armies all went after the Lion Guard and continued to harass them as they retreated. The Lion Guard did not want to lead the troops to Pride Rock all over again, so they went to the Urembo Meadows where they would be far away from Pride Rock, and the ground would be all soft and soggy from the Flood Plains.
The battle went on for quite a long time, the Lion Guard was able to inflict some pretty decent casualties, but they still weren't able to break the will of the 3 armies. "There are too many of them Kion!" Said Fuli. The Lion Guard was pushed back into a corner, and that's when 4 U.S troops pitched an American flag up, and it immediately began flowing with the wind. By then the U.S soldiers were feeling quite patriotic, so they began to sing the national anthem of the United States: The Star-Spangled Banner.
"O say can you see, by the dawn's early light!"
"What so proudly we hailed, at the twilight's last gleaming!"
"Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight!"
"O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming!"
"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there!"
"O say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave!"
"O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!"
The Lion Guard just stood there confused as to what the lyrics of the song meant, but they didn't have a lot of time to think about it. "Get out of here Lion Guard! You do not wanna have to deal with us! We are the United States!" Said General Washington. Kion was too weak from fighting to be able to use the Roar, so he and the Lion Guard retreated to Pride Rock. The Urembo Meadows had fallen, and so did the Flood Plains, as there weren't a lot of animals there to defend it.
At Pride Rock, the Lion Guard was telling Simba and Nala about the new kind of soldiers they had encountered, and about the unusual song they sang. "It all happened so fast dad. They called themselves the "United States"." Said Kion. "The United States? I have never heard of that name before." Said Simba. "I haven't ever heard of that name either. But I have a feeling it could mean something we do not know a lot about." Said Rafiki.
"So are these United States humans the ones who were singing that song we all heard?" Asked Nala. "Yeah mom. We have no idea what any of that meant. They mentioned something called the Star-Spangled Banner." Said Kion. Everyone was so confused, nobody knew what was going on, or what this so called United States was. They all just decided to go get some rest, and then talk more about the matter in the morning.