"Come, My Beckoning Fair One..."

It was a tale I'd heard long ago when I'd been a mere cadet. I didn't believe it then, and I certainly don't believe it now. So that was why my boots were scuffing along on the dusty road to this Gods-forsaken Town weeks later, despite all the dire warnings from my peers.

I did not understand their reluctance, for we are the Caribou! We have conquered nation after nation, fought many glorious battles, defeated countless enemies, and carved out our place in history! How can those same soldiers be wary of one little insignificant pony town whose residents were such cowards they had refused to fight but rather kill themselves? And even if the place was haunted, what of it? The insubstantial, non-corporeal essences of creatures long dead had no power over the living other than to inspire fear. And my heart held no fear of any mare, neither living nor dead!

As I left the road that once led to their fabled city of Canterlot, before me lay the twisted, gnarled remains of their Everfree Forest, once a mighty, thriving woodland teeming with life, now reduced to a few scattered groves that had regrown over the ages after King Daiin the First's orders to destroy it. There were still great patches of scorched ground where nothing would grow, as well as stagnant pools that once held clear bodies of water. My boots crunched onto the dry skeletons of animals long dead, although I could hear in the distance the sounds of others that had returned and still eked out a bare existence in this dead Forest.

I smiled grimly as I pushed through what was left of towering trees with overhanging vines and branches. Many a rebel had been found hiding out in this Forest; those who thought they could escape us by fleeing into the wilderness from Canterlot or settlements as far away as the ones the ponies had named 'Appleloosa,' and 'Manehatten,' and thus, the order had been given to burn it all down. Many that we'd been tracking for moons had been discovered as a result and finally brought to their knees and collared. I had even heard of a so-called Shaman who had made her home in these woods, a Zebra mare if the stories were true, who had escaped capture for years and had tried to lead many with her out of Equestria. I smiled again as I used my machete to slash some vines out of my way. Of course, she had failed and eventually, willingly, joined the fate of all females under our rule.

Or so I'd been told.

A few hours later, as I broke through into another thick grove of trees, I saw a curious sight before me. There, off in the center of a circle of overgrowth, was a long-abandoned hut. Drawing closer, I recognized various markings and sigils belonging to certain members of the conquered Zebra nations; then, it dawned on me what I was seeing! This must be the very place where that Shaman, that Zebra, once lived. I couldn't recall her name, but it struck me as odd that she'd chosen to live out in this once-wild forest rather than reside in the relative safety and community of the nearby town. Perhaps it was true as we'd been told: for all their mouthings of "friendship" and "harmony," the ponies had all been nothing but hypocrites, unable or unwilling to accept a creature as different as a Zebra into their midst.

I snorted. Such beings needed to be conquered. I grinned as I further inspected the crumbling hut. We Caribou harbored no such prejudices: a female is a female, no matter the race. If she could please a male, then it didn't matter what country from which she hailed; all she needed to be was obedient, nothing more.

Suddenly, I felt as if I was being...watched. The hut was larger on the inside than it looked on the outside, and as I stood in the doorway, I could see a dark opening far off down a short hallway. It was from there that I got a sense of watchfulness being directed toward me, along with a feeling of...hatred? I squinted into the darkness as I put away my machete and drew my heavier sword, readying myself for combat. Even now, after a century, it was possible there might be some who had escaped and were still hiding out. If so, I wouldn't bother trying to capture them; I'd simply put them out of their misery, but only after making a survivor or two reveal their other companions.

"Come out!" I shouted into the darkness as I pointed my sword into the ruins. "Now that I know where you are, there's no escape for you!" And that's when I heard it. Faint at first, almost like a whisper. Then, the sound was unmistakable.

Laughter.

I gritted my teeth and charged forward. "Let's see how much you find it funny with my sword in your belly, slut!" I burst into the darkened room, swinging my sword in every direction...but there was nothing. As I strained my eyes, looking all around the dusty, decomposed room, something touched the back of my head. I spun around, swinging my sword, but again, there was nothing there. "Who's here?! SHOW YOURSELF!!" I bellowed as I turned my head back and forth, keeping my sword at the ready.

And even though I think of myself as a hardened warrior, something happened next that nearly made me soil myself like a newborn calf.

There was more of that insane laughter, and then a cold hand grabbed my cock...

It was full night by the time I came to myself. I sat up and stared about myself. I was in the middle of a clearing, with no sign of that decayed hut and no idea where I was. I still gripped my sword as I got shakily to my feet and slowly turned. I could see nothing, but I could hear movement. I took a few steps in a circle, holding up my sword when my foot brushed against my backpack. Relieved, I bent down to open it and retrieve my lantern. Once it was lit, I held it up in my left hand while keeping a firm grip on my sword in my right. I shone the beam all around me, trying to pinpoint the source of the movement, but it was as if the darkness was swallowing up the light mere yards from my lantern.

I shouldered my pack and was just about to simply pick a direction and start walking when I was stopped cold by a...voice.

"Oh my...are you...lost?" I spun swiftly around, sword at the ready, and pointed my light at the voice.

It was...a mare. A small, yellow mare, who was holding her hands up to her face, shielding her eyes against the glare.

"Who are you?! And what are you doing out in this forest?!" I demanded.

"I...I'm sorry! You...you just looked like you...you needed help!" she whimpered. At her submissive tone, I lowered my sword and took a good look at her. She was dressed in a long, white, flowing gown that was almost see-through. Her mane was pink and flowed over her shoulders and down her back, and her eyes were a piercing blue. Her breasts were...impressive, to say the least, and her hips were wide. Her lips were full and looked very soft, and she was quite small. I looked down at her feet and saw she was barefoot, which briefly made me wonder how she could walk out here in this forest with its floor full of broken branches, bones, and sharp rocks, but then I dismissed the thought as unimportant.

"Are you a rebel?" I growled. The question seemed to confuse her.

She fidgeted with her hands nervously as she stared up at me with those soulful eyes and shook her head. "A...rebel? What do you mean?"

I scowled. "Don't play games with me, slut! We conquered this country long ago, as you well know, so you might as well tell me who you are and where the rest of you are hiding!"

She took a step back while keeping an eye on my sword as I raised it again. "Please, Sir! Don't hurt me! I really have no idea what it is you want from me!"

I slowly put my lantern down as she fearfully watched me, and then I suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her by her mane. "What is your name?!"

"Fluttershy! My name is Fluttershy!!" she screamed as I gave her mane a twist.

I was relentless. "And who else is with you?! Where do you live?!" She fell to her knees, openly crying while holding onto my hand.

"I live in Ponyville, Sir! Ponyville!" I released her and stood back as she fell to all fours and continued to sob.

"...you're lying..." I whispered as a coldness gripped my heart. I raised my sword. "YOU'RE LYING!!" I shouted as I brought it down with all my strength. Only to bury it in the empty ground.

She was gone.