Author's Note

1. There is an alicorn OC in this story. Before you get on my case because "OMG alicorn OC dislike unfollow blah blah blah," let me explain: there was a genetic mutation in his body as he was developing as an embryo, and he got a fully functional horn and fully functional wings.
   He's not a total Gary Stu; he has weaknesses, as you'll see.

Know I don't own any OC in this story apart from Carolus, Stellar Quartz, Stride, Skarsgard and Dungeir. All credit for those OCs goes to their original owners.

1. I almost used "Skanderbeg" (my native country's, Albania's, national hero) for our protagonist's preferred nickname. I didn't use it because it didn't sit right in the MLP universe, even though the protagonist is a liberator of enslaved people under a harsh imperial rule. I'd love to use the name in the future, though. Skanderbeg was AWESOME in his time. Look him up.
   "Night Crawler" was one I was using before the final cut.

"Carolus Rex" means "King Charles" in Latin. The title was used historically by King Charles XII of Sweden. If you want more info on the name, look it up, or get a Power Metal dose of history on Sabaton's Carolus Rex album.

1. I make references to the FoE-based series "Etiamsi Omnes, Ego Non" throughout this story. I like that saying, and that series is what got me into FoE in the first place.

2. The process of "returning" mares in this story refers to returning them to the original non-patriarchal lifestyle from before the Fall.
   To "uneducate" a mare, in the caribou's eyes, is to "return" them, in the Resistance's eyes.

Hero Down

The night was still in Lindisbarne. That was how Carolus Rex preferred it. A still night was more dangerous with more sound to be produced, making a bigger challenge. Whether this was bold or foolish was up to his victims. They preferred "bold" overall. He wasn't careless, though; he at least wore a black cloak and a mask.

He loved Lindisbarne, mostly for taunting the new residents in the very first town they took over.

A blue unicorn stallion had just bought his very own green pegasus mare that night. He'd never owned a mare before, let alone a black collar, which the slaveholders told him to do as he pleases to her, especially harsh treatment. Of course, she had resisted with kicking and screaming, as was typical black collar behavior after the caribou conquered Equestria. The stallion knew the mare personally; she was an old elementary school friend, and they had lost contact until that night. Now they had a slave-owner relationship.

"Alright, bitch. Ready for some fun?" he grinned devilishly as he unbuckled his pants and began undressing.

"You used to be cool, Stride. I don't know what happened to you that made you... This," the mare replied, scowling.

"Last I checked, bitches aren't allowed to talk back to their owners. I guess that means you want another black eye?"

The mare, as much as she wanted to, couldn't find the will to resist any further upon hearing that. So, submissively but with a frown on her face, she got into position for her master. So it was that she was taken through the mouth by her former schoolmate.

Carolus Rex watched it all from a window into the bedroom. "Frustretur quam, frater. I thought you'd notice me by now," he muttered behind the closed window. He continued watching as the mare was used.

"Almost there! Can you work it?" Stride said as he began to reach his climax. His mare could only react in moans. After about ten more seconds of her forced suckling, Stride grunted out his seed.

"Yeeeeeeaahhhh..." he said in pure pleasure. His mare couldn't help but swallow his seed.

Carolus shook his head slowly, still disappointed, but for what Stride was doing to a former friend.

After a few more seconds of debauchery, Stride dislodged himself and stared at the mare. "That'll do for now, but just wait until tomorrow morning. You'll drink every last pint of my cum," he said, still with that sick grin on his face. His mare could only stare back, trepidation visible on her face. "Bed," he said, pointing to a cage beside his bed.

"No, I'm not going in there," the mare said. The only reply she got was a kick in the side.

"Get in the cage. Now. That's your bed until you learn your place, cunt," Stride said, dropping his grin. The mare slowly got into the small cage. Once she was in all the way, Stride closed the door and locked it, then proceeded to get to bed. "I wish the caribou ousted that tyrant cunt Celestia years ago. I couldn't live a happier life!" he yawned as he turned out the lights and proceeded to sleep. The mare began to cry as she laid down as best she could.

Ten minutes went by, and Carolus Rex only then found it appropriate to begin the process of freeing the enslaved mare.

The mare woke up to hearing a small hissing sound, followed by a glass "Pop!" and the sound of the window quietly sliding open. She looked over the bed to see a shadowy figure that slowly made its way to her. She opened her mouth ready to scream as a hand caught her.

"Don't scream. It's okay," the figure said as he pulled his hand away. "You must be very cold. Here." He gave her a spare jacket he was carrying. To her surprise, the jacket was concealing, covering her chest and mare parts.

"W-who are you?" she asked.

"Right now, that is not important. Just know this: I am a friend. A real friend. For now, call me Carolus Rex," he replied. "I hate to order you, I really do, but if you want to be free, do exactly as I say, when I say. Understood?"

"You mean... To free me?" she answered.

"Yes (precisely what I just said). Now, we must hurry. There are guards out there, and we don't wanna keep them waiting," he said, giving her a knife. She took it from him and got herself as ready as she could be.

"Also, stallions call me Crystal, but I know my real name is Stellar Quartz," the mare told him, with her voice raised so Carolus could hear. With this, Stride was disturbed from his slumber and awakened just in time to see his mare exiting his window.

"Hey! Get back here, cunt!" he screamed, going after the two.

Stellar heard that, and she scrambled out the window. "He knows!" she yelped.

"Well, you know what they say! If you're gonna buck up, best get it out the way first!" Carolus replied, catching her and helping her to her feet to run. Many caribou guards began chasing after the two after hearing the commotion. Carolus pulled back his cloak slightly to reveal a horn, and started casting stun spells on the chasers. One by one, they fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Where'd you learn that?!" Stellar questioned, running with Carolus.

"Plenty of books on the arcane these days!" Carolus replied. "These assholes love them, especially rune spells!"

It wasn't long until the duo reached the outskirts of town, where a garrison was waiting. Carolus Rex and Stellar Quartz stopped.

"Lay down your weapons and surrender the whore! Then, surrender yourself!" the garrison's leader ordered. Smirking, Carolus laid down his knife and put up his hands.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Stellar asked, very alarmed.

"Watch," Carolus replied, flaring up his horn. Within seconds, a ring of fire appeared around the garrison, alarming the troops and eliciting yelling from the leader. With this distraction, Carolus picked up his knife, grabbed hold of Stellar's arm, and took to the skies with his wings. The guards on the ground threw an iron-ball sling at Carolus's legs to bring the escaping duo down to earth. Grasping the knife firmly in her hand, Stellar Quartz cut the sling as it drew dangerously near, and the balls went off in different directions to do no harm to the airborne. That was the last resistance the caribou put up, as now, the duo were out of harm's way.

"I can't believe it... You actually did it, Carolus!" Stellar said, not caring how high they were.

"I've done nothing. It was your lust for freedom that saved both our flanks. I should be thanking you," Carolus replied, his hood falling from his face, revealing a long, black mane and red eyes. "Always remember, Stellar: resist, resist, resist. That black collar is a symbol of honor."

Stellar pinched her collar. "Resist, resist, resist. I got it," she replied.

Carolus nodded. "I'm taking you to a Resistance encampment. They'll take care of you," he replied. "But from this day forward, I don't exist to you. I'm only imaginary. It's for both our own goods. I will exist only after this war is over."

Stellar nodded.

Etiamsi omnes, ego non. Even if others will, I will not, Carolus thought.

Seven months passed, thirty-two mares were rescued, including an Element of Harmony (according to caribou records), thirty-two failed attempts to capture Carolus Rex occurred. The caribou's king, Dainn, began to grow tired of Carolus's antics, each day wanting more and more to put an end to the "crime spree" put up by Carolus. He especially hated Carolus's taunts: writing in thick ink on the walls of houses' interiors taunts like "You missed me again," "Etiamsi omnes, ego non," "Freedom for all! Restore the Old Order!", "What's the matter? I'm right over here!", among others. Dainn, for all his lack of emotion, grimaced whenever he heard Carolus's name.

One day, however, things changed. A colonel brought in the first mare Carolus ever freed: Stellar Quartz.

"LET ME GO, YOU PERVERT!!!" she screamed.

The colonel didn't react to her saying. "Lord Dainn, we have recaptured an emancipated female," he said. "She has intel on Carolus Rex, including his real name."

Dainn showed the closest he could get to surprised delight at that. "Sit her down in an interrogation room. I would wish to have a word with her," he commanded.

"Yes, my lord," the colonel replied, guiding Stellar to a nearby interrogation room with Dainn following close behind. Entering the room, Stellar was set down on a chair made for mares: a dildo expertly stuck in the middle. She stifled a gasp as she was forced to sit down on such a phalic piece of equipment. Dainn sat down in the chair opposite her.

"You know Carolus, do you not?" the king queued.

"I'LL NEVER TALK!!!" Stellar replied as she spit at Dainn. Dainn retorted with a hard slap across her cheek.

"That means you do. Who is he? Where does he operate?"

"You spineless... BASTARD!! You won't get shit from me!"

"Dungeir, bring in Skarsgard."

"Yes, my lord," the colonel replied and left the room. A few minutes passed, and the colonel returned with a Runemaster. Stellar's eyes held visible terror as she looked at the approaching robed caribou and breathed heavily in trepidation.

"Now, female, I highly, highly suggest you tell me all you know about Carolus. Runemasters can cause great grief for the noncompliant," Dainn said.

After a few seconds of thinking, Stellar boldly replied, "Do your worst!"

With a quick motion of his hand, Dainn ordered the Runemaster to begin punishment. Skarsgard lifted up an index finger and a middle finger, and just like that, runes appeared on the surface of Stellar's skin as her arm began to throb and mold violently, her bones and muscle being sloshed around as if they were soup. Through her screams of pain and agony, Stellar stood her ground as best she could for about thirty seconds.

In the end, her efforts proved fruitless.

"OKAY, OKAY!!! I'LL TALK, I'LL TALK!!! JUST MAKE IT STOP!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Dainn motioned for Skarsgard to cease punishment, and so he did. Stellar's arm returned to normal shortly thereafter, but the pain took a while longer to vanish.

Gasping for breath, Stellar spilled the beans. "His real name is Brave Soul. I know him because I used to work for him before the Fall as a roadie during his earlier gigs as a fledgling musician. He is an alicorn who has has red eyes, black mane and tail, and brown fur. His cutie mark is two crossed swords. He operates at night in a random town. Of course, he wears a black cloak so he can operate effectively."

"Where is he going next?"

"I have no idea. He never contacted me after my rescue."

"Hmm... That is all I have to know. I believe you'll be pleased to see an old friend," Dainn concluded, smirking. "Stride?"

To Stellar's surprise and absolute horror, her former master walked in at Dainn's order, grinning evilly at his former slave, fire in his eyes.

"Hello, Crystal. Bet you missed me, and especially my cock," he said as he walked closer to Stellar.

"You stay away from me!" she yelled. Stride responded with a hard punch to her face, then proceeded to drag her out.

"I'll be sure to give her an extra long beating when we get home to Lindisbarne," he said to his king, who nodded approvingly. Stellar could only kick and scream her lungs out in terror as she was taken away back to sexual slavery and exploitation.

"Put the guards on high alert in the towns. Make sure they check the shadows," Dainn ordered.

"Yes, my lord," Dungeir replied.

The Crystal Empire was relatively quiet tonight. Only the occasional guard passed by as Carolus quietly strolled through the shadows. Carolus cringed every so often at the foul, pulsing magic of the corrupted Crystal Heart, rather Crystal Cock, that rested in the town's center (Carolus had thought ahead when he'd heard what had happened to the Crystal Heart during the Fall and its effect on stallions, and so he mentally trained himself to resist the magic it emanated). He been nearly at his target house for the night when he overheard two guards, a caribou and a stallion, conversing.

"Hey, you know His Majesty identified that Carolus Rex character," the stallion said.

"Really, now?" the caribou replied.

"Yeah. His real name is Brave Soul. He operates at night and in the shadows. He's an alicorn and has a black mane and tail, brown fur, and red eyes. His Majesty has ordered that all guards in all towns be put on high alert until further notice and to check the shadows," the stallion commented. "Who knows? He might even be listening in on our conversation. You never know."

Carolus Rex, for the first time ever in his campaign of freeing mares, actually felt worried as the guards talked, a bead of sweat slowly dripping from his forehead.

"Won't be long now. The reward's been raised to 2,500 Bits for his capture," the stallion continued as they began walking with their spears drawn.

"Damn! With that money, there's no telling how many mares I'll be able to buy and/or fuck!" the caribou replied.

Carolus began to move faster as the guards walked. He was close to his target house, and gracefully moved fast and silently. He could see a lone light burning in the house and could hear moaning from that room. As he silently flew his way up to the window in a small panic, he could see that the stallion buried deep in his mare was a royal guard, and the mare was a red collar.

Carolus never could stand red collars who loved their new lifestyle. It took a great deal of convincing them to just leave their masters. It took an even greater deal to return them to their old, non-patriarchal lifestyle. The process, he thought, was like "trying to make zap apple jam using just one rotten apple": near impossible. Judging from the moans coming from this mare, Carolus could tell she really loved her new social position.

As he flew at the window, the mare could see him in the light of the room, and started making muffled yelling noises to notify her master, and pointed at the window where Carolus was. He took notice and removed himself, and before he could turn around, Carolus ducked down under the windowsill, silently hyperventilating. He was about to come back up, when saw the guard was taking a swing at him, to which he ducked out of the way and landed on the ground. However, the guard began yelling at him, swearing and demanding his surrender. Carolus tried to duck to the shadows to get away, but was apprehended by the two guards from earlier. They raised their spears at his face.

"Freeze in the name of Lord Dainn!" the stallion shouted.

"Heh. I hope you realize that I'm not scared," Carolus laughed. As he said this, the guard he saw in the house slipped down and put a magic inhibitor ring on his horn.

"A magic inhibitor? Gasp, I'm in trouble now!" Carolus joked. Seven more guards came rushing over after hearing the commotion. They surrounded Carolus. "Oh. I'm in trouble now," he said, this time not joking. He put his hands up in surrender, knowing he would not be able to take on nine guards, stallion and caribou, who had the upper hand.

"His Majesty has a pretty penny on your head, you know," the stallion guard from earlier said to Carolus as the latter's wrists were bound together with rope.

"You fight for the wrong side, you know," Carolus mocked. He was given a hard slap across the face in reply as he was escorted out of the Empire.

"Lord Dainn has ordered you to be escorted to Canterlot's blanking facility. He wants to share a few words with you," the caribou from earlier said.

As much as Carolus kept his cool through the entire thing, he felt terrified upon hearing where he was headed.

The trip to Canterlot was long and bitter. At the end of it, there were numerous visible bruises and cuts on Carolus's, rather Brave's, body as the caribou cut him and beat him. The blanking facility was just as plain and disturbing as Brave had heard as he was escorted to Room 1B. Inside, Dainn himself sat in a chair, waiting. He grinned when he saw the battered Brave Soul was forced to enter. Two guards stood at the lone door in the room. There was no escape.

"So, this is the Carolus Rex I've been trying to capture for so long?" Dainn said in Brave's face, to which the latter spat in his face. Dainn hardly batted an eye as he wiped the saliva away.

"Why don't you just blank me and get it over with? Then I can forget to care about what your ugly mug looks like," Brave said.

"We could and we should, Brave Soul. You have committed many crimes against Equestria: breaking and entering, stealing mares from their masters, uneducating said mares..." he said casually.

You invaded Equestria, whom you pledged friendship to, took it over, and locked down mares and the freedom of speech. If what I do is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Yes, I am the criminal here, Brave thought.

"However, we won't blank you, Brave," Dainn said, prompting Brave to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Your crimes have warranted blanking you too good a punishment."

"So... You're gonna let me get off Scot-free?" Brave asked. Dainn laughed in his face.

"Don't make me laugh. No. We feel you should be switched, to live out the rest of your life as a mare: dim-witted and dumb, existing only to please your male masters. It shall stay this way until your body returns to the earth," the king said with an icy voice. Brave's expression never changed.

"Go ahead, Dainn! If what it means to be male is to be cold-hearted and ruthless with zero disregard for the well-being of his sister gender, then go ahead. Switch me!" Brave replied in bold proclamation.

"As you wish. Lock him into the machine," the king ordered. The guards roughly brought Brave over to the machine and locked him in, each clamp locking in his feet and hands. His expression still held his casual look.

"But before we begin, I'd like to show you the female that sold you out. Crystal?" Dainn ordered, as Stellar Quartz walked in, a new red collar around her neck. She eyed Brave in the machine.

"I'm sorry, Brave. But soon, we can live out our existences as cunts, only there to please," she said.

"I'm not mad, kiddo. I'm just disappointed. Thought you were above this barbarism," Brave replied as Stellar jauntily walked out.

The next few minutes were spent as the caribou set the machine to switch and adjusted it to give Brave the figure they want. It was really a few minutes of boredom for Brave, as he began to whistle a tune. He only stopped whistling as the caribou gave a ready-to-go to their king.

"Any final words as a fellow male?" Dainn said, his finger on the button.

"Two, really: My first one: to those souls who have toiled, and wrought, and thought with me, some work of noble note may yet be done. My second: 'As the Sun goes down, I move around, Keeping to the shadows..." Brave sang a song for his second word.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" a caribou in the room said.

"No, I'm good," Brave replied.

With that, the machine turned on, and a beam fired into Brave's chest. He started groaning in pain as his body was changed. He could feel his male genitalia become very rigid, and eventually, he couldn't feel them at all; they were gone. His new genitalia slowly formed from the inside out. His chest expanded in size as he groaned, and he could feel his... Her voice change, becoming higher-pitched and more feminine. Her flank increased size slightly as her hips became curvier. A slit appeared at the base of her torso as her new female genitalia finished forming, finishing the job, and then she was a stallion no longer.

"You will need a nickname for your new position. I think you should be called 'Doopey'," Dainn said, proud of the fruits of his labor. "Get her out of the building and to the reeducation facility. I may take a while for her to learn her new place," he ordered. The guards nodded in response and began tearing away at what was left of Doopey's clothing. Within ten seconds, they were finished and placed a black collar on her neck.

As Doopey was roughly escorted out of the building, she looked at Dainn and said, "You're sick. You're obscene. I hope you know that."

The king simply grinned, pinched her muzzle shut with his thumb and index finger, and replied, "Your words me nothing to me or anyone now. You are just a pet."

All Doopey could do is make the expression on her face just minutes ago. Apart from that, she was helpless.

Three months had passed since Doopey's switching, and she was still in the process of reeducation. Anvari was rough with her, knowing full well who she once was. Beatings for discipline or for fun were regular, as was the usual fucking. Doopey learned quickly to just take it as it is and got used to the feeling. Often, she would get struck with Anvari's riding crop if she didn't follow an order fast or willingly enough. She eventually developed calluses on her flank, or ass, as she was taught to refer to it as, from Anvari's strikes, which only prompted him to strike elsewhere. Those calluses were mental. This is going to be a long reeducation, she often thought to herself.

Yet, every time Doopey looked at or felt her black collar, which caused a horrid pins and needles feeling on her neck, she smiled. She knew she was still the same pony she was when she was switched that night. She knew she was still Brave Soul, and she'd be damned if she let the caribou take that away from her. Perhaps one day, she'd be saved from this horrible existence, but for now, she could only do one thing:

"Resist, resist, resist."

She never wanted or thought to go red; black was always her favorite color.