After the passing of winter, the noble families who served under King Dainn began marching towards the north in an attempt to destroy the rebellion and retake the lands that were once theirs. The one leading these nobles was a baron who was at the head of the newly established slave market and who also had a distinct hatred for those born in the lower class.

"My lord!" Called a scout who was riding down the road ahead of them.

"Enemy knights, just up ahead."

"Numbers?"

"Only a few hundred and Shining Armor is with them." The baron grinned wickedly upon hearing this news and quickly ordered his army to march faster in hopes of capturing the prince.

"I hear this prince is quite the fighter, he even joins his men on the field of battle." Said one of the other barons as they began to laugh amongst themselves.

"The fool throws himself into harms way for a few measly pawns?"

"Disgraceful."

The barons conversation came to a halt when they spotted Shining Armors group on a nearby hill.

"Not such a great army after all my friends." Said one of the nobles sounding rather disappointed.

"Let's try not to kill their women, I hear female knights are quite fiesty in bed."

Their humor soon turned to fear as the hill slowly began to fill with more knights followed by vikings and samurai in great numbers. The baron and his men just stood their frozen with fear and could see the bloodlust in the eyes of their enemies before hearing the sounds of their war cries.

"Gods help us..." One of the nobles pleaded as the numbers seemed to be endless.

"I don't think they can..."

Shining Armor lead the first wave against the enemy and with a single charge, the barons were defeated and their banners trampled into the dust.

It wasn't long until news of this most recent defeat reached Canterlot where a great meeting was held to discuss what many citizens were now calling The Great Rebel Army. To some, the name brought fear and terror but to others it brought a sense of hope and freedom and with that spark of hope came the spark of rebellion as female slaves began to rise up against their oppressors along with ruling families who were once too afraid to speak out against the king and his followers.

With each uprising came more support for the campaign to take back Equestria and with each passing day, more and more rebels flocked to join the ranks of the allied forces.

Meanwhile, In Canterlot

The entire council room at Canterlot Castle was in an uproar, nobles who once ruled the northlands came flooding into the city with news of constant rebellion spreading across the kingdom and ruling families defecting to the enemies side.

"These rebels must be dealt with!" One councilman shouted over the various arguments in the room.

"They've destroyed every army sent at them! We must seek peace!"

At that moment, Dainn Stonehoofs fury erupted as he slammed his fist on the table silencing everyone.

"NOO!! I am their king and they dare to stand against me?!? There will be no peace!!" The king huffed as the room fell silent.

"Contact the mercenary guilds throughout the kingdom. Tell them I will pay five thousand in gold and jewels for each guild that will fight for us and the reward will be doubled for any who can bring me the heads of the rebel leaders!"

"Excellent idea sire!" One of the nobles replied trying to kiss up to Dainn as he began writing the declaration.

"I have personal matters to attend to." The king declared as he left the council room and made his way through the castle halls. Dainn made his way to the castles dungeon built into the mountain where only one prisoner was held; Celestia the former ruler of Equestria now chained and dressed in rags with her horn and wings removed along with her magic and ability to control the sun.

"My my, his majesty has come to greet me. I'm flattered." The princess said with a sarcastic tone as she stared at her jailor through her roughed up mane.

"Humurous as ever I see." Dainn replied while seating himself in front of her.

"It seems they are coming for you."

"Who?" Celestia inquired to humor her guest.

"The Great Rebel Army. Lead by that puppet prince; Shining Armor and that bitch sister of yours."

"....you're afraid." Celestia grinned after seeing the kings face.

"I fear nothing." Dainn boasted but the princess could see past his facade.

"You're afraid of what will happen when the people finally turn against you....when they see you for the monster you are and how you've destroyed their kingdom."

"I SAVED THIS KINGDOM!! I liberated it from your unjust rule!!" Dainn roared at the top of his lungs in an attempt to intimidate Celestia but was only met with laughter.

"And what was it about my rule that was so unjust?"

"Everything." He hissed.

"You allowed females like yourself to go beyond their assigned roles in nature, you gave them independence from men, you let them become soldiers, heroes even! I could not allow such blasphemy to continue!"

"Oh spare me the theatrics." Celestia replied in an annoyed tone, completely unphased by his words.

"The only reason you became king was because you were jealous."

"Jealous?! Of you?!?"

"Not just me but my whole kingdom. We were happy and free and lived as equals, no pony was higher or lower than the other, we were united in friendship....but then you and your fanatics came and destroyed it all by bringing us back to the age of slavery and bigotry while disposing of those who refused to see things your way. You honestly thought you could just get away with such a thing?"

The princess began bursting into an amused laugh that seemed to send a chill up Dainns spine before staring at him with a gaze that made him freeze like a statue.

"You are not a king Dainn, you are a tyrant and in the thousand years I've lived on this earth I have known one absolute truth." She paused to stare at him with both her eyes and a toothy grin that gave her a more wicked appearance.

"In tyranny lies only failure."

Celestia began to laugh once more while Dain quickly made his way towards the exit with all due haste as sweat began to drip from his brow. Her words had shaken him to the core.

Meanwhile

The allied forces had claimed another victory in a battle for the northlands but not all seemed to be enjoying the celebration.

During the battle, Wulfric had shattered his family heirloom; the family axe that had been passed down through the generations. Every smith he went to said that it was far beyond repair and that he should consider finding a new weapon. The young chieftains spirit began to sink after hearing those words over and over.

"Perhaps I should take this as a sign." He told himself while looking at his broken weapon.

"It seems I no longer need your strength, Father."

As Wulfric placed his axe gently on the table, Shining Armor walked into the room to see the broken blade for himself and couldn't help but feel sorry for his comrade.

"I heard what happened, you okay?" The prince asked as he closed the door.

"Nothing a pint of ale won't fix" Wulfric replied with a sigh.

"Hmm...follow me, I think I might have just the thing."

Shining Armor lead the way to his own private armory in the camp, there Wulfric beheld a variety of weapons and each was unique in its own shape and design.

"Pick one." Shining Armor said with a generous wave of his hand as he allowed Wulfric to choose a new weapon.

"Shining Armor, I can't"

"Hey. You need a new weapon and it's my gift to you." The prince insisted as his friend continued to browse around until he suddenly noticed a gleaming claymore sitting alone on one of the tables. The blade was well crafted from the tip to the pommel and seemed to give off a silvery glow in the sunlight and as Wulfric picked it up he felt a strong connection to it and even began to smile with pride.

"What do ya think?" He asked as he placed the blade on his shoulder to strike a pose.

"I think...it suits you." Shining Armor replied with a smirk and he was right.

End.

Author's Notes:

As you can guess, the last bit if the chapter is a reference to the new hero class in For Honor