Dragon: Slayer

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

Chapter One

Lightning flashed across the sky as rain poured down over the quiet city of Canterlot. To an outsider, it appeared subdued; its numerous citizens huddled together in their homes as the sky high above seemed to come to life with sound and light. Thunderstorms were nothing new to the citizens of Equestria, but this was no ordinary gale. It carried sounds that were not meant for the ears of mere mortals, sounds so ghastly and profane that they filled the soul with an unearthly dread. None dared to venture forth from their homes, for it was not only the elements that stood to bring harm to them, should they do so, but other things, things far fouler and more terrifying than a mere storm.

The Gates of Tartarus had been opened once more, by no less than an apocalyptic clash of rival demonic forces. These two armies, factions serving masters unknown to the outside world, met in that terrible realm to wrestle control of the gate from those who stood guard over it. As soon as the hold of the old guardians had been wrested away by force, and with the gates thrown open in the resulting chaos, these two forces turned on one another, seeking to decide who should control them. The battle was long and fierce, and by the time the forces of the guardians had rallied to retake the gates, the two demonic forces had all but vanquished one another. So it was with great haste that the guardians closed the gates, but the damage was already done.

All manner of creature, be they fair or foul, demon or beast, villain or monster, were released from all the differing realms of that place, be they from the peaceful fields of Elysium, the plains of Hades, or the hellish pit of Tartarus, itself. All manner of spirits burst forth, seeking out the dark corners of the world in which they could fester, grow, and spread; countless dark creatures made homes in the forgotten and unseen realms of the world. Many creatures long driven from the world of man returned, often in full force, easily carving out sections of forests, mountains and seas as their own once more. It had been an age since the Gates of Tartarus had indeed been open, but they had never been open for so long, and it showed.

Almost overnight, things began to creep in from these dark corners. Some were harmless, simply seeking to live out their lives as best they could. Others were strange, unholy beasts, many of which held little, if any, love in their hearts for the likes of man. It started simply enough, with the occasional villager gone missing, only for their remains to be found much later, often in places most would not suspect. Sometimes children, sometimes the elderly, sometimes young men and women in their prime; it did not seem to matter much, as many could have been written off as accidents.

Then things began to get worse. Merchants would go missing, their entire caravans disappearing along trade routes that’ve been long safe from weather and bandit alike. Villagers being snatched from their homes or their farm fields by often unseen terrors, with witnesses few and far between. Scores of men coming in from outposts both small and large, ranting about terrible creatures having taken over watchtowers, lighthouses, distilleries, mines and countless other places. Soon enough, armed guards were posted at every city, and militia were trained to protect their towns as best they could, but things did not improve.

Then word began to creep in from the brave few who ventured into the country. Their neighboring kingdoms, longtime trade partners and political allies, were suffering these maladies as well. Borders were closed in an attempt to halt the spread of this darkness, but it was futile, and thus trade and prosperity declined rapidly. Smaller hamlets and towns were often completely abandoned for the apparent safety of larger cities, thus depriving the countryside of much of its farms and their produce. Prices began to rise while supply dropped, and everybody began to suffer from shortages of once plentiful materials, be they food, clothes or household supplies. Few dared to brave the forests, once a place of tranquility and source of bountiful resources, now a festering frontier, unknown and so very dangerous. Fewer still ventured out into the night, often heavily armed and in great numbers when the need arose.

High in the two towers of Canterlot Castle, the princesses of Equestria could not just stand by and watch their kingdom fall apart. It was becoming harder and harder to hold the lands together, to prevent fear and hunger from giving rise to chaos and starvation. The lines of communication between their neighbors had been all but cut by the increasingly-dangerous roads, and they too were suffering from the same maladies, too much so to send aid. For now, it seemed, they were on their own, and for how long that would be, none knew.

In the throne room, above a large map table that showed the entirety of their nation, Princess Celestia blinked in the dim candlelight at her sister. “This cannot go on,” she said, one of her hands tracing the written border between Equestria and Griffonia. Yesterday, she had been informed that the king had declared martial law, and that all of his citizens retreat to the larger cities, practically abandoning the frontier settlements so recently put into place. His forces were large enough to hold back this darkness, but only around the larger settlements, so for now, whatever farmland that his people began to carve out of the forests, they did so only nearest the largest cities, and at the expense of the good soil they were forced to leave behind. To Celestia, it was madness that any of this had happened, and right now, she feared things would get only worse for all involved. “Our kingdom is suffering, sister, and I fear it will only continue to grow.”

“Agreed,” Princess Luna replied. “Our nation has endured strife and toil before, but this is unlike anything. This is not a simple war that can be won by a few decisive battles, by the spilling of the blood of several thousand men. This is a war for survival against nature itself, and I am afraid it is not one a war we are ready for, that we were never ready for.”

“Indeed,” her sister replied, the elder woman standing firm as the wind whipped around their castle. Even with it built centuries before, and with the best materials possible, their castle held little latent heat in the colder times of the year, and so, even now, during the midst of a late spring, there were fires blazing in the lower halls, to keep the guards and servants warm whilst they slept. “Have you given thought to my proposal before the council? I cannot and will not press the matter without your support.”

“The Law of Bounties?” Luna asked. “Yes, Celestia, I have given it much thought since the meeting, but not without also considering the risks. Our coffers are still full, yes, but for how long after such a law is put into effect? Our economy is suffering, as are the people, and if this becomes the law of the land, I fear the worst.” There was no need to talk about the true state of the royal treasury. Whilst still as full as ever, it would not be long before they had to start shelling it out to simply help the populace pay for their daily bread, lest starvation and worse begin to set in.

“What could be worse than this?” Celestia asked. “Sister, like you said, our people are suffering, and I fear for the safety of everyone in this kingdom. This law would put into place a price for the parts of these creatures, be it their skins, their bones, or whatever else could be of worth. By eliminating many of these creatures, we could rid our lands of them and bring peace and prosperity back once more. Also, by doing so, naturally some of our hunters would cross over into the lands of our allies, and perhaps help to alleviate their own problems. To not act now would only extend their suffering, our suffering, and that is something I cannot abide by.”

“I fear it will simply trade our suffering for another kind,” the younger princess said. “The price of greed is a high one, sister, and if we put bounties on these monsters, these demons, these... beasts, there is no telling how the populace will react in the long run. It will be on my conscience that countless young folk will go off to hunt these beasts, likely at the cost of some of their lives, in order to feed their families. Then there is the possibility of there being fights over “hunting grounds” for these creatures, and whatever else such bounty hunting might make apparent, such as black markets and a sense of lawlessness in the more isolated areas of the kingdom.”

“My conscience would feel the same burden as your own on such matters,” the older princess sighed. “It is a risk we must take, for I feel the sickness that plagues our kingdom’s prosperity will only become more entrenched if we do not take action immediately. Even if bad comes of this well-intentioned law, I feel that in the long run we will emerge the better for it as a nation.”

Luna sighed, knowing deep down that her sister was right. The good of the many outweighed the need of the few, including the need for the two of them to have clear consciences on the matter... “Then you have our support for the law. None of the council would oppose us directly, as they like their positions in life too much, but if things do become far worse than they already are, then on all our heads it will be, and you know as well as I do that we are the easiest to blame.”

“I know, sister, I know,” Celestia said, adjusting her crown as the walked around the table. This was not the first time their nation has been faced with such adversity: indeed, it had been founded amidst a great and terribly chaotic period in their history, and the fact that they still stood as they did, even after centuries of often-bloody conflict, was a testament to the strength of Equestria’s people, and those that ruled over them. “However, I do believe I have found a potential ally in this matter, Luna. A hunter without equal, with skills that the commoners would see as otherworldly. Someone who could not only help turn the tide against the foul infestations that pervade the land as we speak, but someone to train others to do it, to teach and guide them in the ways of eliminating creatures most foul.”

“The Slayer?” Luna asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “You were able to contact him, of all allies?” The Slayer was a figure of almost legendary proportions; born in a land across the sea, amidst monsters that were considered mere wildlife to the island inhabitants. It seemed that he had, from a very young age to his kind, set out to slay beasts for gold, though after all these years, it would seem that the gold was merely an afterthought. He did not seek glory, for he already had much, and the lure of riches seemed not to bother him at all. What it was he ultimately sought, nobody knew, not even the wisest seers in all the lands.

“Yes, though it has been a sporadic contact at best, and often one fraught with complications,” the elder princess replied. “He travels very efficiently wherever he goes, leaving little evidence he was even there. I have, however, recently received a letter from him that he will indeed be on his way to our nation, and soon. He is liable to be a shock to the populace should they find out prematurely that he is coming, but I trust the messengers I used, as they are far too loyal to let such a golden opportunity be wasted by fanfare and foolishness.”

“It is good to hear that, sister. Yet, there is something we must know; how were you able to convince him to come to Equestria?”

“I offered him a large sum of gold from my personal treasury, should he come and help to deal with the problems we are facing,” Celestia said, knowing full well that her personal treasury was not at all large. Still, it would have to be enough, at least for the down payment for his services. “He is, however, supportive to our troubles, and both he and his apprentice should be in Canterlot within weeks. I have also offered him a place to stay in our castle, near where the bonfires are in the lower quarters, though I suspect he will be more apt to stay out in the wilds from time to time.”

“I still cannot believe you managed to contact him,” Princess Luna said as the pair of them walked off to the planning room, where their scribes likely awaited their decisions on the upcoming law. “He is a most elusive hunter, even for his kind, never staying in one place for long and rarely ever telling someone where he is going.”

“That is why he is the best at what he does, sister,” Celestia said, her voice grave as they left the throne room. “I believe it is ironic that the most reclusive of all races, a dragon, would have become a hunter of monsters, destroyer of demons, and eliminator of all things arcane and unholy. The Slayer is not to be underestimated, and I can only hope he will be able to help us.”

“A rompo,” a young woman muttered as she coughed in the musky air. “Why did it have to be a rompo?” The smell of the creature was simply revolting at such a close proximity, likely due to the fact that they avoided water and ate carrion... usually.

“Beats me,” her mentor said, kneeling down at the wheezing creature before him. Several crossbow bolts were sticking out of its torso, and as the creature struggled for breath, he quickly carved his knife across its throat, ending its life for good, in a shower of deep red blood. “I just wish I hadn’t needed to do that.”

“But... but you said this rompo went rogue,” she replied, watching as her mentor pulled the bolts from the corpse. “That it was no longer content with eating battlefield corpses, but instead was preying on the living.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t the rompo’s fault,” he replied, wiping his bloody knife on the cool morning grass. “Some of the local chieftains were burning the bodies of their fallen enemies to prevent “evil spirits” from coming back to haunt them. Yet their witch doctors told me that such only happens when bodies are desecrated, and there is nothing sacrilegious about letting rompos simply fulfilling their duty of being nature’s clean-up crew.” He sighed as he lifted the creature onto a cart, the creature’s cooling blood still seeping from its neck. “Shortsighted fools. They destroyed its food supply, and in its hunger it attacks the living.”

“So... what do we do now?” Twilight Sparkle asked, thankful that the oppressive heat of day was still a few hours away. Most of the decidedly dangerous animals had left them alone, which, according to the local witch doctors, was because of the talismans they carried with them. Though Twilight merely thought it was because the smell of a dragon was something many larger predatory creatures were ingrained to fear.

“We take the rompo back to the witch doctors as proof of its slaying, and after we’re paid for our trouble, we leave,” Spike said, his scales shining softly in the early morning rays. “Simple as that.”

“Is this because we were summoned to Equestria?” The young woman asked as her mentor strapped down the beast. Usually her mentor would usually stay for some time wherever he collected a bounty, but even then, he never stayed for long.

“We were not summoned, young one,” the dragon replied, securing the reigns of their horses. “The princess merely sent me a letter, asking for me to help them, and with a little incentive on her part, I agreed to do so. Now, while patience is a virtue, so too is punctuality, and I’d like to arrive in Canterlot within a week or two, providing nothing happens along the way. I would think you’d be excited to see your home again.”

“I... I would,” she said. “I mean, I am, sir. It’s been years since I was in Equestria.” To think that she’d set out to join Spike the Slayer when she was only nineteen years old. Her parents had not approved, or at least, originally, seeing as they expected her to have married by then, but her stubbornness and fondness for learning was off putting to her relatively few suitors. Still, her parents had come around eventually, when she began sending back some of the gold she had earned alongside her mentor. It was a small cut of his overall portion, but what he didn’t give her to keep was often used to feed and supply them, as he had little need for stashing away gold, it seemed.

Now, as a twenty two year old woman in the prime of her life, she was finally coming home, though mostly for business. She could still not believe it had only been thirty six months since she last saw her parents. It felt like twice as many years had passed, at least for her.

“I think your parents will try and steal you away from me,” Spike said with a smile as the pair clambered onto their horses. “They might think I’m a bad influence when they meet me.”

“Well, they certainly won’t approve of how I dress,” Twilight muttered, her attire drastically different than that she had started out with years ago. Her father had given her a chainmail undershirt that was two sizes too big and three feet longer than she needed, and a pair of metal-sheathed boots that weighed near five pounds each. Thankfully, her master had many skills, and although she had to earn them herself, he crafted, for her, an outfit that stood the test of time.

The chainmail had long since been recast, made into a suit far lighter, stronger, and smaller, though how her mentor had done so, still remained a mystery to her. The steel boots, on the other hand, had been traded immediately, in favor of a lighter pair made from shark skin and crocodile hide. Her buckskin leggings, courtesy of several deer she hunted in her first few months of tutelage, had earned their keep in preventing the potentially deadly bites of countless snakes, spiders, and other nasty creatures. A wool undershirt for cooler climates, and to prevent the chainmail from chafing against her skin, was usually covered by a long-sleeved jacket, made from the hide of a formerly bothersome werehyena. Atop her head sat a simple spangen helm, one of the few things her master had to buy for her, instead of helping her make. With her long hair tucked back in a long braid, and curled beneath her helmet, she was, for all intents and purposes, unassuming, which, in turn, had saved her from many an unpleasant situation. Then again, so had her master.

All in all, she dressed the part of a slayer’s apprentice, and although she was by no means a novice, her mentor was nearly fifty times her age. Dragons were not rare creatures, but kept to themselves, mostly in mountains or on volcanic islands. Spike had been the odd one out, having traveled much of the world before he was even a century old. Such traveling gave him quite the reputation over the many centuries of his life, and according to him, he plied his skill where needed, when needed, and if the price was right. Secretly, she believed he did such because he wished for the Gates of Tartarus to close forever, and eventually be able to settle down, but he never told her anything of the sort, so she kept quiet about it.

Still, being a slayer’s apprentice was not an easy task. She usually had to carry around the supplies if they were not loaded on horseback, hold onto extra weapons if they were stalking quarry, and, more often than not, cook their meals. Warm or even dry beds were a rarity, and more often than not they would have to make their camp in caves or forests, regardless of the weather. She was often hungry, as they expended far more energy than they usually ate, so whenever a thankful community paid them with a feast, she soon learned to be able to eat almost anything.

However, despite all of this, Spike was a fair teacher, and did not make her do something unless there was likely a lesson to be learned from it. Also, he was very patient with her, likely because he was so much older than she was, and he would often explain why something happened the way it did, or why things were different in some places, rather than others. His knowledge of most terrains and beasts were quite indispensable in many hunts, and whenever she had any free time in which to do so, she would scribble down all the wisdom she could in her journals. If she ever did leave his side, and strike out on her own, such books would be worth a fortune to her, seeing as she could easily open up a school on slaying with such a treasure.

“Well, given the fact that people’s assumptions of dragons aren’t the most flattering, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the townsfolk demand I leave,” Spike said, pulling Twilight from her silent musings. “Besides, I’ll likely be the first dragon they’ve ever seen, so I’ll try and make a good impression.”

So the pair, indeed, traveled back to the head chieftain’s village, where the gathering of the local shamans waited for them. Upon delivery of the rompo that was attacking and devouring their children, the men paid the dragon and his assistant with what few valuables they had: green shards of stone, gathered from a mountain face far to the east. Thanking them, and bidding them farewell, the duo set off once more, their new journey taking them north, past the sweltering savannas and thick jungles, to the shores of a great salty sea.

Boarding a small ship with some of the last of their gold as toll for passage, the two meandered their way up the mountainous coastline before sailing straight across the open sea. Amidst several storms and an attack by a rather shark-like mermaid, the Slayer and his apprentice arrived on the southernmost shores of the nation of Equestria.

The great port city of Caballus was not much of a great city to begin with; it was more like a motley collection of warehouses and docks bordering the waters, with a modestly-sized walled-in town surrounding that. Several ships were already docked when Spike and Twilight arrived, and as they unloaded what few provisions they had, they could tell the city was unlike it was before. All the life, the shimmering happiness and prosperity that seemed to flow from even the very ground they stood on, now seemed cold; barren; lifeless. What few passerbies the duo met often rushed past, as if they did not wish to be out in the open for very long. In fact, the warehouses looked new, and nothing like the resplendent buildings from before the opening of Tartarus. Had they been destroyed by some recent natural disaster? Or perhaps by some monstrous beast?

“I didn't think it was this bad,” Twilight muttered, glancing around as the two led their horses through the middle of town. “I remember when we left Equestria through this city. People were smiling, fresh foods were in countless market stalls lining the busier streets, with some of the merchants selling goods from distant lands. Now, it’s like everything’s been swallowed up by the city streets. Half the shops look like they’ve been closed for months.”

“They probably have, young one,” her mentor replied, his height being the only real giveaway to his true identity. The long hooded robe he wore covered him well, though it would not hold up under close scrutiny. “How long ago did the Gates open? Almost a year now? It doesn’t take long for whatever was released to settle into the world, apprentice, especially with the speed at which many of them can move. These are forces your kind is not always prepared or willing to deal with; creatures fantastical and beastial; servants of darkness, and still those that only wish to be left alone. They all fall under the same scrutiny, however, and it’s up to those like us to help people see that just because they don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it’s bad or evil.”

“Like the rompo?” She asked.

“Exactly,” Spike said. “Rompos are, by their nature, scavengers, and rather harmless ones at that. They often come upon corpses before any larger predators can devour them, but they eat only that which is already dead. In the case of the rompo we were forced to deal with, its natural food supply was greatly diminished, both by the extreme efficiency of the native hunters, and by burning of the corpses of enemy tribes. A rompo driven to such a maddening hunger, such as the one we were forced to slay, would easily go against its nature and kill for sustenance, as would countless other beasts.”

“Then why did we have to kill it?” She asked. “Could we not simply captured and relocated it elsewhere?”

“Twilight, once such a creature, like that rompo, is thrust out of its natural behavior, and develops new behaviors, it cannot simply “go back” to the old ones with ease. It would have either continued killing wherever it went, starved itself to death, or been killed by a larger predator, seeing that it would have no knowledge of the terrain we place it in. All in all, it was better for all involved, perhaps even the rompo itself, that we ended its life.”

“I guess,” the young woman said as they approached the city’s gates. Judging from the number of guards along the tops of the walls and around the guardhouses, things were definitely worse than they were originally led to believe.

“Who goes there?” A guard asked, stepping forward and stopping the pair in their tracks. “What business have you outside the city?”

Twilight looked up at her master. “That is an odd question, is it not?”

“Best to know what you’ll be doing and where, in case you don’t come back, and we have to send a search party out after you,” the guard said with a huff. “Standard protocol these days, miss.”

“In case we don’t come back?” Spike asked, his voice indistinguishable from that of an ordinary man. “What if we are journeying away from the city, towards another?”

“Then the best of luck to you,” the guard said, stepping aside. “The roads these days are dangerous, too dangerous for individuals to travel, anymore. If you’re, indeed, going out for good, I’d suggest you try and find some shelter before nightfall. Nobody travels at night, unless they are under the most dire of circumstances.”

“Well, our circumstances are not dire, but we do have somewhere to be,” the dragon replied as they passed the guard. “Thank you for the warning, though. We shall try and be careful.”

“Good luck, then,” was his reply as they walked out of the city. Twilight, to her credit, did not look back as they continued on, but she could feel the eyes of countless guards on her form, not out of interest, but out of some strange sense of sadness, as if they believed both she and her master were doomed to vanish. She paid it no mind, though; her master was the Slayer, and she had nothing to fear but the greatest and most savage of beasts.

Crossing a large bridge, under which, a rather discolored river flowed, the pair mounted their steeds and set off. All around them, the farm lands lay filled with crops, yet many more lay unplanted, evidently abandoned by the owners and their families. It was sad, really, to see such good farming soil being unused and, in essence, wasted, all due to the lands becoming more and more dangerous.

Keeping her wits about her as the sun continued it’s leisurely trek across the sky, Twilight surreptitiously scanned every tree, every rocky outcropping, every abandoned building for signs of trouble. Her mentor had mastered being able to notice almost anything at any time, but then again, a dragon’s senses were so much greater than a human’s, so, to him, it was likely as natural as breathing or blinking. Still, it paid to be vigilant, and vigilant she was, for after a few hours of travelling, she heard a distant howl, almost like that of a wolf...

“Warg,” Spike said, turning to his apprentice as their horses began to look for the source of the howl.

“A warg? Here?” She asked. Twilight had dealt with all manner of beasts from all walks of life, but she hadn’t encountered a warg before. She has heard of them, though; vicious beasts, solitary if old, but pack hunters when young. Spike once told her the sound of its howl was a dead giveaway to its age, but she couldn’t quite remember yet what part of it to listen to.

“Yes, I’d recognize the howl of one anywhere,” her master replied as another howl sounded in the distance, much closer this time around. “Tell me, young on, how does one deal with a warg?”

“But is it alone, or in a pack?” She asked.

“You should know, you took notes when I told you,” Spike said as the howl sounded again, once again, more closer than before. The horses were becoming antsy...

“Um... okay, okay, I know this, I know this,” the young woman muttered, looking ahead of them. All around the road were open fields, and while she couldn’t see the beast, up ahead was a small scattering of trees, and up there, it was likely going to rush at them. “A warg in a pack... howls shrill and strong, but the call of a warg alone.... is low and long!”

“Exactly,” the dragon said. “Now, wait for the next howl, and tell me if this warg is a loner.”

She needn’t wait more than five seconds before another howl was heard, sounding much closer than the one before. Deep, baritone, trailing for several seconds in differing volumes...

“This warg is alone,” she replied, looking to her master for confirmation.

“Indeed he is,” he replied, earning a smile from his apprentice. “Now, how does one deal with a warg?”

“Well, you can try and outrun one, but only if you have a head start and the warg is much older or has been running for some time,” she said as another howl sounded. “Swords are rather ineffective against their hide, unless they are used to stab, and while axes are excellent for dispatching, they often require you get very close to the beast. So... crossbow?”

“Crossbow,” Spike said with a nod as he reached over and took her reins from her. “Come now, dismount and take out your crossbow.”

“What? You expect me to kill it?” She asked.

“Yes, I believe the time is right for you to put what you’ve learned into practice,” her mentor said, his face as serious as his tone. “Come now, before it is upon us.”

Her pulse increasing significantly when she realized he was serious, the young woman shakily dismounted and retrieved the large crossbow from her saddlebag. Now, most crossbows required one to have great strength and endurance to use, seeing that they were mostly used to defend castles, not hunt. This one, however, was specially made by Spike for the two of them to use, and did not require the user to be very strong. Instead, upon the side, there was a small lever with a crank, with which one could pull back the string with ease. Granted, it did not take very long to do so, and it was of a very lightweight construction, but both of those factors meant the lethal range of the crossbow was limited to a short distance, at least compared to a longbow.

Retrieving a trio of bolts from her knapsack, Twilight looked up in time from her loading to see the warg burst through the trees and make a beeline for them. Its slobbering mouth was flapping in the wind, its large teeth were bared, a hungry look sat upon its hideous face, its feet mercilessly pounding against the ground as it rushed towards them as fast as it could.

“Are you loaded?” Spike asked as the young woman took up her firing stance.

“Yes, sir,” she replied, aiming towards the beast, her heart beating faster. Years of training made her a good shot, but every now and then, she could, and would, still miss. She could only hope today was not one of those days; she hated days like that.

As the beast drew nearer and nearer, she could see scars running along the top of its back. This beast had attacked others before them, and from the look of things, had survived every encounter, likely eating whomever tried to take it down.

“Not this time,” Twilight muttered, pulling the trigger on her crossbow.

With a sharp whistling sound, the bolt flew straight and true; in the merest of moments, it connected right between the eyes of the charging beast. Stumbling slightly, as it gave a roar of pain, the warg continued it’s mad dash towards them, blood rushing from the wound in its head.

“Bolts and arrows do not always kill immediately, depending on the target,” Spike said as Twilight cranked the string back and loaded in the second bolt.

“I can see that,” she replied, firing again. This bolt struck an inch to the left of the first one, driving further into the thick skull of the beast, and with an unearthly squeal, it fell over, twitching as blood and saliva poured from its mouth. It lay only a dozen yards away, yet for Twilight, who only just realized she could breath again, it felt as if it had stopped right at her feet.

“One more,” Spike said.

“What?” She asked, looking up at her master. “It’s dead.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” was his reply. “One more: put it in the heart.”

Harrumphing as she loaded the crossbow again, Twilight took aim and fired once more, her bolt thudding into the creature’s chest. All of a sudden, it let out a terrible roar, and as it rose to its feet, making several lunges in their direction, snapping its massive maw like a steel trap. Yet, just as quickly, it fell back down to the ground and rolled onto its side, tongue lolling out as more blood pooled around it. With several agonized gasps and pants, the creature’s sides stopped moving, and a bloody gurgle emanated from its toothy maw.

“See?” Spike said as he dismounted his horse and handed his apprentice the reins. “Wait until you know it is dead before you approaching it. Some of these larger creatures can survive many wounds, even in vital areas.”

“I’ll be sure to write that one down again,” Twilight said, suppressing the urge to slap her forehead. Duh! How could she have forgotten that? It was Hunting 101, and it applied to pretty much anything you hunted, not just monsters like wargs!

“I’m sure you will,” the dragon muttered as he retrieved a large knife from his belt. “Come here.”

“What is it?” She asked as he began to open the large beasts, shoving piles of organs away from the rest of the carcass.

“This is your first warg,” he said, cracking a smile as blood poured onto the dirt path beneath them. “You lost your warg virginity. Time to celebrate.”

“You say there’s a virginity for everything,” Twilight muttered as she approached her master. “Eating bear for the first time, your first serpent skinning, a bath in the former home of a kappa... now your first warg kill?”

“Yes,” he said. “It’s just a joke, apprentice, no need to be so serious all the time. That’s supposed to be my job, remember?”

“I guess,” she said, watching as he continued to cut the beast, stopping only to hand her a strip of meat. “What is that?”

“Eat it,” he said, thrusting it upon her.

“Raw?” She asked, having tasted raw meat before, but never warg.

“No, not raw, I don’t want you getting sick,” he said. “This’ll be your supper tonight. Well, technically our supper,” he added, pulling out another long strip for himself. “I’ll show you how to cook warg backstrap.”

“Well... okay then,” she said, grabbing a spare piece of clean cloth from her knapsack and wrapping the two slabs in it. “What about the rest of it?” Twilight asked, gesturing towards the deceased warg.

Just then, a trio of farmers rode up over the hill, each carrying with them a long spear. Stopping dead in their tracks, they called out to the pair.

“Holy smokes! Did y’all kill that warg?” One said, his short stature belying his young age.

“Sure did,” Spike replied, wiping his knife on some grass. “Want it?”

“What?” They called, coming a bit closer. “What was that?”

“Do you want it?” Spike asked. “We don’t have the room to carry this beast, skinned and all, and even if we did, it’d spoil before we could use it. Plus, I take it you fellows are the sons of a local farmer?”

“Yessir,” one said, likely the eldest. “You really mean we can have this?”

“Yes,” the dragon replied as he and Twilight mounted their horses. “You should be able to quarter it onto your horses fairly quickly, I already gutted most of it.”

“Well, gee, thanks mister!” The younger one said as the two continued on their way. Once they were a good ways off, he turned to his brothers and smiled, positively glowing with excitement. “We’re gonna be eatin’ good tonight, won’t we?”

“Yes we will, and so will everyone else, for a few days at least,” the older brother said. “Come on, let’s get this thing loaded up, we ain’t got all day.”

Author's Note

This has been something I've not only been planning for some time, but have been working on as well. The true reason for it's publication is because I'm a tad stuck on it: I have a general idea where I want to go, but it'd be a big change of pace, in terms of story format, at least compared to my other works.

Chapter Two

With the sun still high in the sky, they left behind many an abandoned field of many a small town, all of which seemed to draw uneasy feelings from the youngest of them. Before he had come through these lands and taken on Twilight as his apprentice three years before, Spike had not been to Equestria in a very long time, so to him everything was new in some way, but to his apprentice, these lands were her own. She had grown up in this country, likely traveled some of these roads, and the fact that it was all different and foreboding to the both of them made it all the more evident that things had indeed changed for the worse.

Eventually, after many more miles of abandoned road, with not a soul to be seen, the two found themselves paused at the end of the cobblestone path, facing an entirely different kind of environment.

“The Everfree Forest,” Twilight said, her horse’s ears perking up at the slight bit of breeze that filtered through the trees. “The last time I came through these woods, they were alive with butterflies and deer and all sorts of squirrels. Birds fluttered through the tree branches, singing away as if there was no tomorrow, and down in the swamps, frog chirped in a wild symphony.”

“Now, I fear, these woods are filled with things far more nefarious,” Spike said, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. “The air... it is thick with the stench of decay, as if the forest is, somehow, sick. It also seems to carry an unnatural darkness, one that is not like I remember when we last passed through it three years previously.”

“The trees, they seem off,” his apprentice replied, the dark leaves losing their green the further in she peered. Even now, she could see some that had died, ancient forest giants that now lay bare of bark and leaf. She could still remember swinging from a few of those branches with her brother when they were younger. Now, they seemed like great wooden claws, reaching out to snag the unwary passerby. “It’s as if they are... standing guard to this road. Watching, looking out for trouble.”

“Or easy victims,” the dragon replied. “Come, after this forest, we should be at Canterlot’s gates soon enough, preferably before nightfall. I doubt there’s any real structures to hunker down in for the night, and going around the forest would likely take far too long. Besides, I like being punctual.”

“So through we must go,” Twilight said. “Any suggestions, master?”

“Stick close to me, and, whatever you do, don’t leave the main road. If you do, with the way this forest has changed, there’s no telling if you might find it again... or if something might find you first."

“What do you think we might find in there?” She asked as they spurred their horses onward, their mounts sticking close to one another.

“Hopefully nothing, but you can never tell in a place like this,” Spike said, the forest’s shade growing deeper the further in they traveled. “The opening of the Tartarus Gates unleashed countless different beasts, demons and other things into this world, things that can easily adapt to a place such as this. Best though to be on your guard at all times; keep your eyes peeled and your ears open.” He would have also told her to keep smelling the air, had she not been human, but humans did not have very good senses of smell, at least compared to him, so he kept that advice to himself.

Indeed, the further into the dark forest they traveled, the less sure of herself Twilight became. The darkness was not total, like that of night, but the gloom seemed to emanate from everywhere, making the light of the midday sun seem like all but a distant memory. She was not used to the forest she had known as a child being so... different. All around them, out of sight but not of mind, noises sounded in the deep gloom. Every mossy boulder, every large tree, every small hill could have been hiding something, something nefarious; something waiting for unwary passerby to come too close. Even the lowland swamps downhill of the road were filled with mists that seemed to swallow up the very ground, creating a blanket of fog that looked to be as thick as wool.

Then, off in the distance, she heard it: voices.

“What is this, sisters?” A voice whispered, sounding shrill and as icy as a windy winter’s eve. It certainly sent a chill up Twilight's spine.

“Two travelers on a lonely road, I should think,” another voice replied, creaky and filled with curiosity and glee.

A rustling noise high above was joined by another voice, this one far raspier than the others. “It would be rude of us to not introduce ourselves,” it said, and all at once, three trees shook as whatever was in then dropped to the ground.

Twilight had to hold back a shout as three of the ugliest, haggard-looking women she had ever seen landed several yards in front of them, causing the horses to nearly rear in fright. Regaining control of their snorting and stomping mounts, the two travelers watched as the women stood tall, their features becoming far more apparent in the gloom.

They were harpies, harpies much like those Twilight have seen in the mountains across the sea. Yet, these were far more haggard, far older, and far more... gone. Gone, as in they were little more than the heads of old women, disgusting ones by the look of things, atop scraggly bird bodies. Their feathers were dark, blacker than the soot of a fireplace, and the talons on their feet, whilst not terribly large, looked razor sharp. At the ends of the crests of their wings were fingers: long, thin, and very frail-looking. The claws on the tips were very small, yet also seemed to glimmer in the gloom, like sharp daggers ready to slice at anything they wished.

“Good day to you, noble travelers,” one said, her sinister smile filled with surprisingly healthy-looking teeth. Twilight did not want to know what she ate to keep them so clean.

“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” Another asked, her chin and nose forming the rough shape of a beak.

“We simply seek passage to Canterlot,” Spike said, his hood concealing all but his voice from the three harpies. “We intend to make good time before nightfall, as there are few inns nearby, and we are on a schedule.”

“Ah, Canterlot!” The third one sang, her shrill voice grating on one’s ears. “Oh, is it not the most beautiful city in the land? Rolling fields, those marble towers, the wineries spread across the forest edges... it's a most splendid place.”

“Yes, sister, it is,” the one with beak-shaped face replied as all three started walking towards the two on horseback. “It’s a shame it doesn't get many visitors anymore. The citizens are very friendly, but in these times, even common courtesy is a commodity, and a rare one at that.”

“Oh, I know!” The third said, her raspy voice like that of one afflicted with some terrible ailment. “In Equestria, no city gets a lot of visitors these days, not with the way the roads are.”

“Dangerous times we live in,” the shrill one said with a knowing nod. “You never know what’s around the next corner, or behind a tree, or even in your own backyard.”

“Nobody really likes to travel anymore by themselves, let alone at night,” the beaky one commented. "People move in groups now, as the shadows are not as safe as they used to be."

“Please, misses, we don’t want any trouble,” Twilight said, suppressing the urge to vomit. In all due respect, she thought she had seen ugly before, but never this ugly. It was like a human’s face was described to an infant, who then made a model out of clay, and then gave that model to an artist with crippling arthritis, who then gave that picture to someone who wrapped it around a jagged rock.

All in all, absolutely disgusting.

“Oh? Trouble? We’re not looking for trouble either, sweetie,” the shrill one said. “We’re just here to tell you that the road ahead is fraught with peril, and that we know a shortcut or two that might help you... for a price.”

“A price?” Spike asked.

“Yes, a small token of appreciation for helping the two of you on your merry way,” the three harpies said in tandem. “We only wish the best for those seeking to travel through the forest.”

“I doubt that,” Twilight muttered as she put her hand in a pocket. “How much?”

“One gold piece,” the three said at once. “One gold piece is all we require.”

Twilight looked at her master, surprise evident on her face. “Just one?” She asked, retrieving it from her pocket and holding it aloft betwixt her thumb and finger.

“Yes,” the three haggard harpy hags replied.

“Fine.” Tossing the coin to the beak-faced one, who snatched from the air with unerring speed, Twilight watched in barely-hidden disgust as the three crooned over the shiny coin, the shrill one eventually taking ahold of it. “Okay then, what’s this about a shortcut?” She asked after several minutes of just watching them stare at the coin, as if ascertaining it's worth.

Her words snapping them out of their apparent hypnosis, the three bowed and pointed down the road. “A ways ahead, there is a fork in the road at a massive rock outcropping, both of which will take you to Canterlot. However, the one on the right is fraught with peril, as large spiders have woven webs across it, these past several weeks. The few who have taken such path have rarely been seen again, and those that have returned our way do not speak as much as they used to. On the other hand, the road to the left is under the watchful eye of a guard tower, and is much safer.”

“Thank you for the warning, we shall take the left path when we reach it,” Spike said, nodding towards the three as he prodded his horse forward. Encouraging her own to follow close to her master, Twilight looked back at the crones to see them fly silently into the air, disappearing into the dark foliage.

“Are we really taking the left road, sir?” She asked once she believed they were out of earshot. “They didn’t seem like the most trustworthy of harpies.”

“Yes, well, young one, harpies are a dime a dozen on the more lonely roads, and you can’t always tell what their true intentions are,” he replied. “I once met some harpies, a few decades back, who needed an arrow removed from the ribcage of one of their elders. After patching them up, they thanked me with a large sack of silver, as they prefer gold. Yet, what do you remember of the ones we met in the Caucasus Mountains?”

“They tried eating my liver,” Twilight said with a grimace. “Before you crushed their skulls, that is.”

“Yes, well, they deserved it,” Spike replied with a chuckle, his hand mimicking a crushing motion. “Now, what do you think these harpies want?”

“Gold, from the look of things, but also a good reputation for being guides,” she said. “It’s not like they told us to take a shortcut through the swamp where something could "get" us, and then come and loot our remains.”

“Precisely,” the dragon said. “These harpies love gold; you saw how much they obsessed over that one piece. Yet, for them, greed is tempered by what might be a desire to stay alive, for if they, indeed, led people astray, and they survived to tell the tale, then they’d likely be shot on sight.”

“But how are we to know that any they may have led astray, did indeed survive to rat them out?” Twilight asked. It would be counter-productive to take any chances and let survivors escape, and, from the look of their talons, they could probably do some serious damage to an unarmored opponent...

“Simple; we don’t,” Spike said with a shrug. “We go with our instincts, like all good Slayers must do at one point or another, and right now, my gut is telling me that we will find the answers we seek on the left path.”

“Should I have the crossbow at the ready?” She asked.

“A better question is, why didn’t you when we entered the woods?”

She blinked. “Um... because it’s unwise to have a crossbow loaded at all times?”

“And why is that?”

“You might damage its overall integrity, by constantly keeping all that force on the drawstring?”

“Very good, my apprentice,” Spike said as they continued along. “Besides, something tells me that whatever lies ahead of us will not be taken out by a crossbow, or at least, not very easily. Best be ready, though, in case I am wrong.”

“But... you’re rarely ever wrong,” she replied, a touch of confusion entering her tone. It had annoyed her in the beginning of her apprenticeship, just how right her mentor seemed to be about everything, but now, she found comfort in it.

“Yet, I still have been and can be wrong,” the dragon replied. “Twilight, I am old, very old by your standards, yet for all my wisdom and knowledge, and my many years of experience, I am nowhere near infallible. I doubt any ever are, be they human, dragon, or something else. Not even the gods of mythology, like Zeus and whatnot, were infallible. Everything makes mistakes, including myself.”

“So... does that mean mistakes make us more relatable?”

“Perhaps, though it’s not the mistakes we make, but how we deal with them, that is a truer test of one’s mettle,” he said as they approached the road’s fork. Veering left, the dragon heard several branches high above creak slightly; the harpies were, indeed, following them. “Besides, I like to see what challenges await me every day, be they mundane or dangerous. If you were to somehow live as long as I have, Twilight, and with a set of attributes that kept you in good health, you’d find that the best part of life is the innate challenge in it.”

“I see,” Twilight said as they continued down the road. Apparently, the harpies had not lied to them, for after a few hours of travel, they found themselves at the base of an old watchtower. The cobblestone reached well up past the tops of the trees, and all around it lay piles of stones and old carts, as if it was a place where others stopped for the night, yet... hadn’t left.

“I’ll go inside,” Spike said, handing Twilight the reigns of his horse and dismounting. “If the stairs are in working order, maybe I can get to the top and see how far away from the city we are.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” She asked, nodding in the direction of long-abandoned carts. “I’m thinking whoever left those here probably had the same idea as you do.”

“Ah, but therein lies the challenge, my apprentice,” Spike said with a smile. “Perhaps I can also find why they left with their belongings.”

Twilight watched as the dragon strode into the tower, the door slowly shutting behind him. All around her, the noises of the forest seemed far more subdued, as if this place contained something that things did not wish to be found by.

Up above, Twilight could not see the top of the tower, but she could tell some of its history just by looking at it. The shape of it was definitely that of recent construct, likely within a few weeks of Tartarus being shut once again. “Likely one of the princesses’ early attempts at a warning system,” she muttered, absentmindedly patting her horse on the neck. It looks to have been abandoned for at least a year, judging from how the somewhat rusty door was still in good, working order, yet the oddly arching scorch marks told her it had been struck by lightning at least once or twice. Also the fact that there were stones laying about in haphazard piles, likely meaning that the lightning strikes loosened some of the cobble from the upper portions, causing them to fall out, to the ground below. It still looked structurally sound, though, so she didn't feel the need to back away from it.

Dismounting, she pulled a small sack from her saddlebags and retrieved a few carrots, upon which the two horses happily munched. Looking around the area, she realized something strange; the grass was rather flattened in some areas, and there were old drag marks in much of the more barren dirt patches. All of the drag marks seemed to point in the same direction, and with a horrified realization, Twilight’s eyes went from the marks towards the door of the tower. There were even scratch marks on the door's frame, and on the stones surrounding it.

They all led inside; where her master was right now. Something had dragged many somethings inside that tower, struggling somethings, judging from some of the furrows. Oh, this was not good, not good at all...

“Master!” She shouted, letting go of the horses’ reins and rushing up to the door. “Master, are you all right?”

Without pause, she nearly kicked the door down and rushed inside, her hand going to her hip for the short sword she carried at her side. Those vile harpies! They led them into a trap! A most devious, cunning trap that they had fallen for so easily! How could she have trusted those... those...

She paused, her mind not truly comprehending what she saw.

Her master was kneeling next to a large shape, black as coal with streaks of orange running along its sides. He had the strangest smile on his face, and while he was speaking, it was not in any language she had ever heard. It was low, almost like a hiss, yet not like when she had heard him speak to the Naga people of the distant jungles. No, this was softer, more melodic, almost like that of a song one would hum to an infant who was having trouble drifting off to sleep, or even water dribbling over rocks.

“Master?” She asked. “What... what are you doing?”

“Merely conversing with the current resident of this tower,” he replied, gesturing to the great black and orange mass on the ground. It must have been near the size of a horse, possibly even larger, yet most of that size was in its length, and while it indeed was large, it did not seem to have very long legs, even though there were about six of them; it couldn’t have been taller than a large dog.

“What... what is it?” Twilight asked, hand moving away from her sword. Was... was that creature... purring?

“This, Twilight, is a very rare and special creature to find in these parts, or even in your country,” Spike replied, standing up straight. “A salamander; or more specifically, a chitin salamander, so named so because of it’s fondness for devouring arthropods.”

“Spiders?” She asked.

“Yes, big ones, which I’m afraid were likely the previous tenants of this tower,” he said, gesturing over towards several piles of rags surrounded by webs. Errant bones littered the walls, strung up in great cocoons, the smaller pieces in piles underneath them. Some were definitely those of animals, but all too many clearly were human in origin. “And it would seem that they were not so benevolent towards their guests, hence the abandoned carts outside.”

“It ate them?” Twilight asked, unsure why her master was so at ease with being next to a creature large enough to take on giant spiders, and apparently with ease. “Are you sure it won’t try and eat us, or anyone else?”

“She, Twilight; she ate them,” he said with a smile. “Besides, not all encounters need end in violence; her kind prefer animals to any sort of human, and she told me that humans taste disgusting to her, anyway. I merely asked her how long she has been in here, and then thanked her for allowing me to use her tower for a few minutes. From the top, I was able to see Canterlot: we are but a few hours away from our destination, I would wager.”

“A few hours... we only have a few hours of sunlight left,” she said, watching as the creature walked over to a corner and curled up. “Will she be a danger to anyone?”

“Hardly,” the dragon said. “Unless, of course, they provoke her. But, at most, she’ll just snarl, or maybe bite them on the leg, though likely not enough to do any real harm. She merely wishes to be left alone; a kindred spirit, I would say.”

“So... I take it you’ll be telling the princesses that, then... If they want to have this tower manned again, that is?”

“Oh yes, indeed I will,” the dragon said. “That, or I will return and ask if she wishes to live elsewhere, should this tower indeed be manned once again. Come now, let us go.”

As they left the tower and closed the door behind them, Twilight handed her master his horses’ reins. “So... what language was that?”

“What language?” He asked as they mounted up and set off.

“The one you were speaking to her. It sounded like the one you used to talk with those Naga, yet... different.”

“Oh, that,” he said. “That’s just a little Urodelese. It’s the language of the salamanders. I could teach it to you sometime, if you’d like.”

“You sure I’d be able to speak it?” She asked.

“Yes, but you’d likely need to have a forked tongue to speak it properly,” he said, cracking a smile. “Or maybe scream a lot before speaking, as a raspy throat is a great conductor for some of the more subtle syllables.”

“I think I’ll pass on both of those options, thank you,” she said with a laugh as they continued on their way.

Far behind them, the three harpies dropped down from the trees, their expressions partly furious, but mostly confused. “What just happened?” The beaky one asked, wringing her taloned hands.

“I have no idea, the spiders should have taken care of them quickly, as they did the others,” the raspy one said. “We should check on them. Maybe they were asleep this time?”

“Probably, the lazy buggers,” the shrill harpy replied, the gold coin still clutched tightly in one fist. “One cold night and they shut off for days.”

The three walked inside the tower, quickly the door closing behind them.

“So, chitin salamanders love the taste of arthropods?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yes, but one of their favorite treats, especially so for the females, are birds,” Spike said. “They just go bananas for something with feathers, especially darkly-colored ones. They especially like to grab two or three at a time, shake them up a bit, then crush them in their jaws and swallow them whole. After it’s sure they’re dead, of course, seeing as some birds have pretty nasty talons.”

“Remind me not to wear a raven on my shoulder if I ever meet another one,” the young woman said with a laugh. “Speaking of birds, turns out the harpies were telling the truth.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” her mentor replied. “I’m sure they knew about the spiders before, but then again, maybe they only knew about the salamander. Though, to be honest, we may have to check out that other path in the future, if it’s indeed infested with giant spiders. We’d make good gold on their fangs and venom glands.” The reason being that, when properly treated and applied, venom glands could be used to assuage fevers, and the fangs made for excellent sewing needles.

“Allowing for the fact that we’d better not end up as their dinner,” Twilight said. “I hate giant spiders: always causing trouble wherever they go.”

“Yes, well, for spawn of Tartarus, they are quite the invasive breed,” Spike said. “Anywhere that looks abandoned, near a decent food supply, they’ll take over. Bridges, forest roads, mountain passes, watchtowers, old buildings in a half-abandoned town; anywhere, really. They aren’t hard to root out, but they often come back to the same place when you least expect it, which is why it’s practically impossible to permanently drive them off.”

“So persistence pays off, where spiders are concerned,” she said, making a mental note to write that down, later. “How far from Canterlot do you think we are?”

“Not too much, but I can smell rain on the air,” the dragon said. “A storm will be here by nightfall, giving us another reason to find shelter in Canterlot before then. After all, there are fouler things than giant spiders that come out in the dead of night, my apprentice.”

“Then we’d best hurry,” Twilight said, spurring her horse onwards. Her master quickly following suit, the two rode at a brisk but steady pace, their mounts taking care along some of the less smooth portions of the road. All around them, the sounds of the forest seemed less threatening than before, the light from the sun more easily penetrating into the interior of the canopy.

Back within the abandoned tower, the great chitin salamander grumbled in delight, it’s belly fuller than it has been in ages. With a loud burp, something came up out of its gullet and onto the floor, spinning for a few moments before lying still. The content creature merely belched again as it slunk over to the corner to rest, ignoring the single gold coin resting on the floor in front of it.

As dusk approached, and the dark clouds appeared on the horizon, Twilight and her mentor left the forest at last, whereupon they found themselves at the crest of a hill, overlooking the low valley that held the capital city of Canterlot. It was a sight to behold, indeed, even for a local like Twilight.

The high walls surrounding the massive city were lined with tower after tower, many of which were heavily fortified against any invading army. A natural series of moats ran several hundred yards from the base of the walls, these moats seemed to be rivers once, diverted centuries ago to irrigate and protect the cities’ rich agricultural fields. With small hamlets surrounding the city, likely the homes of many of the farmers and herdsmen, the main majority of the capital’s population resided within the walls. Watchtowers stood near every road leading into the forest, their torches already burning bright in growing gloom.

Indeed, the two travelers were stopped within several yards of their own outpost, three guards with spears at the ready, the long wrought-iron tips glinting in the light.

“Who goes there?” One called. Their shields bore the royal crest of the city, a shining sun with a crescent moon high above it.

“We are simple travelers, seeking passage into the city,” Spike said, making sure his face was hidden under his hood. If they knew he was a dragon, they would likely react badly, especially if the princesses hadn't told them to expect him so soon. A dragon was a sight in any parts, but in Equestria, with all that had happened so far, the guards would probably try and seize or stop any non-human they saw.

“What business have you in Canterlot, good sir?” The guard asked, lowering his spear slightly but keeping his focus on the two of them.

“Our business is our own, but if you must know, we intend to meet some old friends,” Twilight said, her voice startling the guards. Apparently, under all her garb, they must have thought her to be a man. This wasn’t the first time that had been the case. "I believe these paper will suffice?"

She held aloft a large scroll, unfurled, signed at the bottom with the stamp of the princesses. Even from where they stood, the guards could clearly make out the insignia, and with a set of gasps, the looked at each other.

“All right then, go on about your business,” one of the other guards said as all three lowered their spears. “Best hurry, you two, before the gates close for the night.”

Nodding, the two set off, spurring their horses to made due with all haste. Down the roads they traveled, the city becoming larger and larger as they drew closer and closer. The main two towers of the castle itself lay nestled on highest point of the city, near the eastern walls, and as such, it was supported by far more complex and fortified structures. One tower, the taller of them, had glowing stained glass windows facing east and west, but not north or south, while the other seemed to have windows in a random spiral pattern, their shape almost like that of a half moon.

Approaching the massive gates to the city, Spike and Twilight were immediately stopped by another set of guards, this one larger than the first. “Business?” One asked, the flat side of his sword resting on his shoulder.

“We seek to spend the night in the company of old friends,” Twilight said, reaching for the paper again. However, she soon found out she had no need for it.

“Carry on then, miss,” he said, much to their surprise. Either these guards were almost at the end of their shift, and thus too tired to follow all protocol, or there was little sense in asking two strangers why they were seeking to enter the city before nightfall. After all, times were dangerous, especially at night, and one couldn’t be too careful.

Entering the city, the two slowly made their way past countless citizens heading home for the night. Unlike the people in Caballus, the people here look far healthier and less suspicious, yet even they walked with a hurried pace, and huddled together in small groups. Even the city’s children, who Twilight remember playing freely in the many roads less traveled, stuck close to their parents, their expressions grim as their loose clothes hung from their young bodies. Everyone here was hungry, it would seem, although not yet starving, what with such close proximity to highly fertile farmland.

Yet, if the roads, forests, and fields were not made safer soon, starvation would eventually become not a likelihood, but a reality.

“Come, Twilight, there is nothing we can do for them yet,” Spike said, snapping his apprentice out of her thoughts. “Our work will ensure they do not face starvation, but in order to get started, we need to set ourselves up properly. Besides, we have a meeting to attend, and we will arrive on time.”

Nodding silently, Twilight followed her master as the storm continued to roll in from across the plains. As darkness encroached ever faster, and the streets began to empty of civilians, leaving only the occasional soldier, the pair soon found themselves at a small stable at the castle’s entrance. Leaving their horses with a young, mop-headed stableboy, the two entered as a scrawny messenger rushed towards them.

“The princesses are waiting for you, mighty Slayer,” he said with a bow in Spike’s direction.

“Slayer, and apprentice,” the dragon corrected, motioning towards Twilight. Really, she was used to this by now: everyone always bowed to the slayer, but she was just an apprentice, even though her master treated her with as much courtesy and respect as one would an equal.

“Yes, yes, of course,” the messenger said, giving a smaller bow in Twilight’s direction. “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to follow me, I’ll take you to the throne room.”

“Lead the way,” Spike said, turning to his apprentice with a smile on his face under his hood. “Let’s go meet the princesses.”

Author's Note

So, we see Equestria is not quite the place it used to be. What will happen, now that the Slayer has arrived?

Chapter Three

As a peal of thunder rumbled across the distant, cloudy sky, Spike and Twilight entered the castle’s main doors, which the guards attending them immediately shut and bolted behind them. When looked upon with questioning glances, one of the more decorated guards stepped forward, his mostly-clean uniform likely that of an officer. “Safety protocol. Can’t be too careful about something... undesirable making its way into the castle,”

“Such as?” Spike asked from underneath his hood.

“Oh, usually some of the homeless will try and sneak in,” the guard said. “Even though we’ve put up almost five new shelters these past few months, with room still to spare in each, some still think they are entitled to try their luck here. We turn them away as patiently and politely as we can, as per the orders of the princesses, but with the way things are going, the confrontations might become less... pleasant.”

“Less pleasant for who?” Twilight asked.

“Everyone,” the guard replied. “We’ve had close calls before, but never as sustained and frequent as this.” He paused. “Might I ask who you two are?”

“We are guests of the princesses,” Spike said, motioning to the messenger impatiently waiting alongside them. “He’s meant to take us to them.”

“Ah, well then, they should be up in the throne room,” the guard replied, shaking his head. “They spend most of their time there, or at least, when they are not convening with the High Council.”

Twilight shuddered at his words. The High Council was the governing body of Equestria, more or less subservient only to the princesses themselves. With that much power, it eventually became corrupt, and while, indeed, there were those who were less than honorable in their dealings, the whole system was not all that unpleasant. The truly bad part of the council was that they were often very fond of debating, shouting, and engaging in similarly bureaucratic behavior. It hardly ever mattered how urgent the instance with which they convened; they took as much time as they wished. Twilight could remember when she was younger about a decision to lower the cost of selling land to recent immigrants, for the purposes of increasing the area of farmland in the more secluded towns and villages.

The resulting debates had taken over five months to settle.

“Well then, let’s not keep them waiting,” Spike said, giving the man a nod of thanks. “Come, Twilight.”

As she followed her master and the shuffling messenger, Twilight could only marvel at how little actually changed in the castle since she was last here. The same tall gilded windows, the same ornate chandeliers, the same magnificent furniture, statues, paintings, and tapestries... and yet, it seemed... dimmer. It was almost as if the darkness that nearly swallowed the land had also crept its way into the castle. It all just seemed so much more subdued to her.

As a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the windows, rendering some of them nothing more than opaque sheets of glass, Twilight found herself at the door to the throne room; a large, solidly-built wall of oaken slabs inlaid with strong steel beams, and as such, took four strong guards to open, their armor glinting in the low light of the candles situated everywhere.

The minute she walked in, the young hunter-in-training spotted the princesses approaching the pair of them. How could she not, after all? To the people of Equestria, the royal sisters were near goddess-levels of grace, beauty, and wisdom, among other things. Brave Luna, champion of the night, the military and all those who slept under it’s comforting embrace. Wise Celestia, the sun’s own, patient beyond measure and the one who saw fit to improve the lives of all citizens under her most caring guidance.

Even after being away from the kingdom for three years, and amidst all kinds of peoples, it still made her breath quicken and her wits fail her, just being in their presence. It was like meeting them all over again, though, this time, it was not merely as a visit to the castle alongside her brother. No, now she was here on business, with a mentor she had equally revered when they first met, and still did to an extent.

“Hello,” Spike said, removing his hood as the two princesses bowed before him.

Twilight’s jaw almost hit the floor, for exactly two reasons: because one; the princesses were bowing to her master, which was not something one expected from the rulers of any kingdom, and two; he had said “hello” in the most informal tone she has ever heard before. Did he not realize these sisters were royalty of a kingdom that had persisted for many centuries under their families' rule? They were all but queens in power and respect, and yet he showed them the same deferential treatment one might give a fellow traveler.

“Greetings, Slayer. It is good that you were able to receive our summons,” said Princess Luna.

“I was not summoned,” he said simply, crossing his arms. “I struck a deal with your sister, who made it sound like my services were greatly required. And while I am a bit skeptical, I do believe there is some merit to her descriptions of the land’s plight.”

The younger princess gasped. “You dare-,”

“Yes, I do,” the dragon continued. “Princess Luna, I know that the kingdom is suffering, and you both wish for it to pass by, sooner than never. Which is why I am here, is it not?”

“Yes, but-,”

“Then we can skip the pleasantries and political double-speak,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I have no time for such formalities, especially when I know neither of you wish to dilly-dally and would rather get about to saving your subjects from the plights they now face. Let’s get straight to business, shall we?”

Luna fumed in silence as her older sister stepped forward. “I apologize for my sister, she is not used to meeting someone of your... caliber,” she said, as delicately as she could. “Again, though, I must thank you for arriving with all due haste. I trust the journey was not too stressful?”

“Well, other than a warg attack and some nasty-looking harpies back in the Everfree Forest, I’d say the trip was fair,” he said.

“But those harpies weren’t a threat to us,” Twilight said, stepping up alongside her master. “They even gave us the right directions to get to Canterlot.” She did not want to make it sound like Equestria was already too great a task for the both of them; she didn't want to leave again so soon, especially if the princesses were offended and told them to leave.

“My apprentice, you saw as well as I did that there were spider webs where they directed us?”

“Yes, but what does that-,”

“Did you see how fresh they were?”

She paused, her mouth still hanging open as she struggled to process what he had just said. “I, uh, I... no, I did not.”

“They were quite fresh, I would imagine some only a week old. That means that they’ve given others those same directions, and likely were attacked by the giant spiders that were in the tower. Or, at least, the spiders that used to be in that tower,” Spike added, turning to the princesses as he let this fact sink into his pupil’s brain. “Which reminds me, that particular tower is currently being inhabited by a chitin salamander, who is the reason there are no longer giant spiders attempting to eat passersby on that road. I would be very grateful if you tell your guards that, should they retake that tower, to leave the salamander be. She’s not a threat to anyone but spiders and birds.”

“But what about the harpies?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Oh, I heard them enter the tower shortly after we left it behind, probably to rob what they thought would be our corpses,” he said with a knowing smile. “I did say that chitin salamanders love eating birds.”

There was a pause as the realization hit home for everyone in the room, and then Princess Celestia laughed.

“Oh, my you are as good as they said,” the princess proclaimed, clapping her hands together as she did. “I do believe you shall be a great asset to our kingdom, Mr. Slayer; with proper compensation, of course.”

“Yes, don’t assume I forgot about the payment,” the dragon said, walking away from the lot of them and towards one of the windows. “Twilight, do you still have the documents?”

“What?” She asked, startled at the sudden direction the conversation had gone. “Oh, yes, right here... your majesties,” she said with a mumble, retrieving a small stack of scrolls from her bag. Damn, that slice of warg tenderloin was still in there! Her master said-,

“Yes, Twilight, I know about the meat,” Spike added, causing looks of confusion to flicker over the faces of the princesses. “After we are done here, you and I will have much to do before bed, and that includes dinner.”

“We... we didn’t know what you preferred, so the cooks didn’t really prepare anything,” the messenger mumbled, having been silently standing behind them up until now. “I apologize, master dragon, I-”

“It is quite alright,” Spike said with a wave of his hand, lightning flashing outside once more. “When we are done here, send for some cheese, a loaf of bread, and some rosemary. Oh, and some wine, if you please.”

“Do you have a preference?” The messenger asked, having taken out a small scroll and furiously scribbling everything down.

“Hmm... something with a slightly sweet finish; one that goes well with wild game. That will be all.”

With that, the small man departed, leaving the princesses and the two hunters to themselves.

“Sorry, he’s not being rude, he’s just... different,” Twilight whispered to the two princesses. “He’s just, you know... a dragon.”

“I would call that racist, my dear, if not for the fact that it is completely true,” Spike said, casting a small smirk in their direction. “Though I’m afraid my apprentice is right. Being a dragon, and thus living as long as I have, has made me... somewhat insensitive to the trappings of speaking with royalty, though I do apologize if I have offended you for practically ordering your servant around.”

“Not at all,” Princess Celestia said with a dismissive gesture, even as her sister’s frown remained firmly planted on her face. “They are used to it, though other than myself and my sister, you were likely one of the most polite guests he has had to deal with.”

“Thank you,” the dragon said. “Now then, onto business. Twilight?”

“Yes, yes. Of course,” she said, unrolling several of the scrolls and beginning to read one aloud. “As for the previously-agreed payment between the Slayer and Princess Celestia, the sum will be delivered as one large collection of preferably gold and silver coins, with a five percent reduction overall as a measure of goodwill. Furthermore, said payment will not be delivered until either the task at hand is complete, or the Slayer decides to exchange such sum for something of equal value.”

“Sounds like you two have spent some time on this,” Princess Luna said, casting a rather suspicious glance towards the dragon.

“Indeed we have,” Spike said, looking out the window as lightning flashed once more. “However, in light of recent events, there are a few stipulations I would like to make.”

“Such as?” The princesses asked.

“First and foremost, any and all gold recovered by myself or those in my employ will belong to the one who collected it, and it will remain theirs until they decide what to use it for. We’ll call it a “finder’s fee” for simplicity’s sake. Furthermore, I will be taking up residence in this city, likely a permanent one for the foreseeable future, and wish to find a somewhere that suits my needs.”

“Well, we do have a room prepared for you in the castle’s east wing,” Princess Celestia said.

“I will stay there tonight, but for no more than that,” he replied, pointing out the large window. “Out there, in the distance... what is that building?”

Walking over and following the dragon’s gesture, the princesses (plus Twilight) spied a large building underneath the towers of one of the far walls.

“That? I believe it’s an old mansion of one of the older farming magnates in the city,” Princess Luna said. “If I remember correctly, there was a fire in there some years ago, and while it is still structurally sound, the family has since moved on. Nobody has sought to purchase it, and-,”

“I wish to.”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“What?” The princesses echoed.

“I wish to purchase the house,” Spike repeated. “I will be needing a de facto base of operations, and that is a perfect place for it. It will need some fixing-up, though, but I am sure I could manage that.”

“But... how will you pay for it?” Twilight asked.

“Take it off of my fee,” the dragon said. “Is that an acceptable form of payment, your highness?”

“Oh, um... yes, yes it is,” Celestia said, unsure why it suddenly felt as if he was being generous for the sake of being generous. She has heard stories of dragons coveting wealth and power, but the Slayer... he just parted with a large sum of money, all for some abandoned mansion? She had no idea what to think of him now, aside from the relief this will put on the treasury. Or was that why he had done it? “When will you move in?”

“Preferably tomorrow,” Spike said, turning away from the window. “For the moment, the last piece of business is my most pressing concern.”

“Ah, yes, the Law of Bounties,” Princess Luna said. “As per the law; any and all citizens that partake in hunting of the maladies plaguing the land are to do so at their own risk. All usable portions of the creatures are to be brought to the nearest markets and sold or donated for food or gold, whichever one prefers.”

“Is there a guideline to what parts of the slain creatures are valuable?” The dragon asked.

“Well, no, we thought-,”

“You thought that relying on the local experience and superstitions would be the best means to determine the value of them. Am I right?”

“...yes,” the princess of the night said with a mumble.

“Well, it seems I’ve got my work cut out for me,” the dragon said. “The first thing I will need to do is garner a list of all the things people consider valuable about the creatures. It will take some time to complete, but I will make sure to have it to you by the end of the week.”

“Is the local experience wrong?” Celestia asked.

“No, it is merely incomplete,” Spike said. “Some of the more superstitious uses, on the other hand... are hit or miss, depending on the superstition itself. For example, vampires are not repelled by garlic, but holy water does create a burning feeling. Werewolves can change at will, though only after they have experienced their first full moon. As for fire salamanders, they do not seek out flames, but instead happen to inhabit the logs people burn, from which they flee. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“Will you put that in your list?” Luna asked.

“Only the correct parts,” he replied, motioning to Twilight. Acting quickly, she brought him a singular scroll, which he unrolled and presented to the princesses. “Just as a formality, here is a list of references and commendations, should you need them for bureaucratic purposes.”

The two princesses looked over the rather long scroll, the writing very small but still rather legible. “It seems legitimate,” Celestia said. “It say here you received a commendation from High King Khrysaor of the Grecian Islands for slaying a hydra?”

“Several actually; a big nest of them,” the dragon said. “That was about fifty years ago." He silently wondered if the then-young king is still alive. Sure, he was in great health the last time the dragon had seen him, but that was fifty years ago...

“And here it says you partook in the great hunt of a Nandi bear with the Maasai?” Luna asked. “I always thought the Nandi bear was just a myth.”

“Well, it tried eating me when we cornered it, so I had to strangle it could succeed,” he replied with a shrug. “It would not be the first time I had to deal with some beast with my bare hands. Or claws, if you prefer."

Nodding in agreement with her mentor’s statement, Twilight watched as the princesses continued to look over the paper. “Is there anything more you wish to discuss? Perhaps the timely manner of summonings, should there be a need for them? Or maybe a fee for taking on trainees?”

“No, no, I believe this cements everything into place,” Celestia said, handing the parchment back to Twilight. “We are most grateful you have come to aid us, Slayer... and apprentice,” she added, smiling at Twilight. “I can only hope you are indeed as efficient as they say.”

“Quite,” the dragon said, turning to his apprentice. “If that is all, your highnesses, I bid you farewell. Come, Twilight, that manservant likely has our provisions ready for us in our quarters.”

“Good evening, your highnesses, and farewell,” Twilight said, giving an honorary bow to each before leaving with her mentor.

Once alone again, the two princesses looked at each other. “Well, that went... well,” Celestia said.

“Well? That dragon showed no respect!” Luna countered, finally letting her anger boil to the surface. “Rude, with no respect for the titles we honor, no desire to treat us as the royalty we are, no-,”

“Sister, he is over two thousand years old,” the elder princess said. “I do believe he comes from a time before our ways were around, including such things as royalty and divine mandates of kings. Likely, Equestria was nothing but a gathering of tribes then, as our records do not go back far enough to rightly see those days.”

“He could still stand to at least try,” the princess of the night said, conceding to her sister’s point.

“Well, I, for one, think he will be a most valued asset to this kingdom in these troubling times,” Celestia said with a smile. “However, it would be good to keep an eye on him, just in case.”

“In case of what? Are you afraid he might cause trouble?” Luna asked.

“Quite the opposite, actually, dear sister. I’m afraid trouble will, instead, find him.”

“Master?” Twilight asked as the two of them made their way away from the throne room. “Why did you seek to purchase that old manor?”

“Ah, but I did purchase it,” he replied.

“Okay, so you did. But why?”

“Well, young one, you and I both know that the princesses told us how hard times have become since the Gates were opened. You and I saw it in the Everfree Forest, in the city of Caballus, in the faces of every man, woman, and child we’ve passed since we arrived in the country. There is a sickness upon the land, brought on by these clouds of darkness.” As if to add validity to his statement, a flash of lightning illuminated the few windows in the hall, the darkness outside returning as swiftly as it had vanished.

“Well, that’s a good enough reason to help them, but that still doesn’t explain why you bothered with it. The princesses offered you a room in the castle when you weren’t out on an assignment, and yet you denied them that simple honor,” she replied.

“I am but a simple guest in their country, Twilight, and whilst I may not seem like it, I do appreciate their hospitality. However, if I were to stay in the castle, others might see it as me submitting to their whims, to their rule. I will not submit, if only because I wish for freedom from such rules, something I have lived with for many centuries.”

“Then... you bought it to save face?”

“Partially,” her mentor replied as they found themselves in a rather spacious room right down the hall from the massive fireplaces that have been warming the castle since late fall. Though the distance was great enough that the heat would likely not travel far, in the room itself was a rather nice fire already going, and as such, the room was pleasantly warm, enough so that one could sit in relative comfort. In front of them sat a small table with a pair of chairs, the items Spike requested lying atop them. “I also bought it because doing so would be seen as a sign of independence by others from the princesses, and thus make me much more approachable if they needed help with something. If anyone were to accidentally insult me while I were staying in the castle, many would likely believe they had insulted the princesses as well, by way of proxy, and me being their guest. In doing so, I am saving the two highnesses from what could have been heaping amounts of embarrassment and potential political chaos. That, and they have enough to do as it is, so presiding over something as trivial as myself being insulted would likely take up much of their valuable time. Also, if I were to not follow their orders while living under their roof, it could be seen as not only insubordination by her guards and servants, but it would bring dishonor on the princess. Being unable to control one guest? Just imagine what the common folk would say."

“Ah, I guess I can see where you're coming from,” she replied as she laid her stuff out on one of the large beds before them. Even for one as intelligent as she, Twilight had come to an understand long ago, that knowledge and wisdom were intertwined, but definitely not the same thing. While her master had told her, explicitly, that she was very intelligent, she was humble enough to realize that the veritable reservoir of wisdom he carried was something she had yet to achieve, and, given his life history, would likely never amount to the same extent. “So... what do we do now?”

“Well, first we get our supper ready,” the dragon said, eyeing the fire poker as she retrieved the strips of warg tenderloin from her pack. “Here, let me show you how it’s done.”

“I’ve cooked venison before,” Twilight said, remembering back to some of the more leisurely suppers she has had in the great northern forests, just on the border between Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Now that she was back hom, she'd have to swing by her parent's house sometime, preferably sooner than later. “Is it not a similar method?”

“A little, but think more like that of bear,” the dragon said, heating up the end of the cleaned-off poker and suddenly skewering the meat onto it. “Warg meat, for being as lean as venison, often has parasites in it, ones that, for humans like you, can cause abdominal cramps if not properly cooked. While most people barely even notice, some find themselves doubled over in pain, or afflicted with dysentery in the more... extreme cases. So, cooking the interior slowly, with the hot poker, is a good way to ensure the entirety of the meat itself is cooked. The exterior needs no preserving agents, so there’s little risk of contamination from having sat wrapped up in your pack for a few hours.”

Handing her the poker, which she held firmly above the crackling flames, the dragon walked over and began to divide up the meal, giving his apprentice a far more generous helping of the bread than what he saved for himself. Several minutes later, he returned to her side with a platter and a small bowl of spice. Grabbing the small bowl of rosemary and rolling up his robe’s sleeves, he then sprinkled some of it on the meat, ignoring the flames that licked up and down his hands while he reached into the fire. The flames lazily licked at his scaly hands, rolling over it like waves on a beach.

I for one am glad you can touch any kind of fire and not burn,” Twilight said with a smile. “Otherwise watching you cook would become a boring affair.”

“Well, when you’re a dragon, fire is of no threat to you, except of course if you happen to swallow it, so we’ve learned as a species to cook differently than others,” Spike replied with a smile, rubbing the spices into the cooking meat. “Won’t be long now.”

“It smells delicious,” the young woman commented, noticing the grease spitting and hissing as it fell into the open flames.

“It’ll taste even better,” he said a few minutes later, bringing up the platter. “Gently now, no need to risk flinging the rosemary off of the meat.”

Slowly, Twilight swung the strips of sizzling meat over to the platter, where her mentor slid them off and onto the slick ceramic surface. Setting the poker down, Twilight followed him over to the table, and after ensuring everything was in place, they began to eat. The first thing that hit Twilight was how juicy the meat was, even with how much it shrank over the fire as the grease leaked out of it. Secondly, it was incredibly dense, as if the shrinking had merely compacted it, and not been a result of water loss. It did remind her of bear, though to be honest, she hadn’t had bear in a long time, as she and Spike hadn’t been in bear country for many months now. Yet, for this density and juiciness, it sliced fairly evenly with the simple cutlery she had packed for them, cutlery that was rarely used due to their nomadic lifestyle.

“So?” Her mentor asked as he ate his own share as well. “What do you think?”

“It’s very good, thank you,” she replied. “Although, I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you come to know warg tasted so good? It''s not exactly everyday table fare.”

He smiled and stared off into space as he chewed, as if not only savoring the flavor of the meat, but that of the memory that went with it. “It was about three centuries ago, give or take a decade or two,” he began after swallowing. “I had just been tasked with dealing with a warg pack on a lonely mountain road, high in the hills, overlooking a small town. I think this was in Griffonia. Naturally, I’d overestimated how much help I’d need, and so the few townsmen that went with me were surprised by how quickly I’d dispatched the beasts. So surprised, actually, that they forgot to keep their voices down, shouting and cheering at the slaying of the vile beasts, and soon enough an avalanche came down on us.”

“Really?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yes, and while nobody was killed, thankfully, several were hurt and the coming night was going to be bitterly cold. So, we made our way up into the cave where I killed the wargs, and set up camp. Turns out that that night was the very night a blizzard came through, and effectively sealed off what part of the road the avalanche hadn’t. We were stranded, and we hadn’t brought much food with us, so immediately, some of the townsmen were worried that I’d turn on them and eat them, being a dragon and all.”

“So you convinced them to eat warg instead?”

“Precisely,” the dragon said. “It took a few tries, and quite a bit of either raw or burnt meat, but eventually I learned how to cook it, and after about a fortnight of living off of preserved warg and whatever else we could scrounge up, the weather cleared and the snow melted enough for us to return to the town. You should have seen it, all of us coming down in freshly-cleaned warg hide clothes and, for the men, somewhat shaggy beards. Everyone else must have thought us for dead when they’d heard that avalanche.”

“Nobody came to look for you?”

“Oh, no, the road was much too blocked off for a rescue party, and besides, everyone made it out more or less fine. Since then, whenever I have the chance to sit back and enjoy it, I’ll eat warg, so long as it’s not a really old one. The meat tends to get rather tough; better for grinding it up into hamburger, then.”

“Okay then,” Twilight said, taking a small bite of cheese. “You know, I’ve been thinking... with that manor you purchased, as a base of sorts, would it hurt to try and find people to look after the place while out on assignments? That might deter anyone from trying to sneak in, for some reason or another.”

“Well, it’s not a bad idea, but I do believe I have another one that might fulfill that aspect a bit better,” the dragon said. “Tell me, Twilight, have you enjoyed being my apprentice?”

“Can’t say that I haven’t, to be honest,” she said with a shrug. “You’re sometimes tough, but always fair in that regard, and while it may seem strange, you’re more of a companion than a teacher, even with some of the ground rules you’ve laid out over the years. That, and you’ve shown me so much more than I ever could have dreamed of. So, yes, I have very much enjoyed being your apprentice, Spike.”

“That’s good to know,” he said with a smile. “Have you ever given thought about continuing your magic training?”

“Well,” she began, only to stop. She had been told that she had great potential in the magical arts in her younger years, though she had never really done much more than what one might call “basic magic”, as she had spent most of her childhood helping around the family home. Even with the money her parents had managed to save up for her education, it had been barely enough to schedule more than a few lessons and several dog-eared textbooks for her to learn from. As such, she did know how to do some things, but overall, not very many. “I... I have given it thought, before. But I don’t know anyone who’d be willing to take on the Slayer’s apprentice as an apprentice of their own, especially at my age. Wouldn’t that be breaking some kind of unwritten rule, where an apprentice cannot serve two masters or something?”

“For me, there is no such rule, but I do see your point,” Spike said. “In all regards, I do believe continuing your magical education will be of a great asset to you in your future, my apprentice. Not all magic is just waving your hands and causing things to levitate, or to change, or to heal yourself or to block attacks. It also gives you a greater insight into the worlds of both the natural and the unnatural, where realizing what you are dealing with and how to counter it are some of the most vital skills you can possess. It can account for more success and a higher chance of surviving than merely having a good weapon or numbers on your side.”

“So... do you know of anyone who could teach me?” Twilight asked. “Wait, you don’t... you know...”

“No, Twilight, I am not versed in magic like humans are, even with how old I am,” Spike said, shaking his head. “Dragons do have magic, but ours is more internally focused, allowing us to do things those with external magic, like humans and elves, can only dream of. Innate resistance to all forms of heat and most cold, the ability to change shape and size at will, send messages across vast distances with our fiery breath, and so much more. Yet, it is a tradeoff, and I’ve heard of quite a few dragons in my time that would have loved to have been able to do magic like humans do.”

“Then... who will teach me, if you cannot?” Twilight asked.

“Hmm... I do know of an elf clan that specializes in practical magic,” the dragon said with a smile. “Healing, deflection, sensing, and telekinesis, to name but a few. They live in the forests far to the east of here, deep within one of Equestria’s larger mountain ranges near the border with Griffonia. I have a... unique history with this tribe, and I do not think it would be difficult for them to agree to send a representative to help teach you external magic, though I would have to meet with them in person to make such a request. They don't take too kindly to requests by way of messages."

“Do you know their name?” She asked as they left their dishes and trudged off to bed. “The tribe, that is?”

“They are known as the Quagga tribe, though it has been some time since I saw them last and do not know if they have decided on a different name in my absence, as they are sometimes accustomed to do,” Spike said, turning away from his apprentice as they crawled under their covers. The warm bedpans, that were left underneath, had soaked the sheets with a warmth that just made all the aches and pains of the day fade away. “Good night, my apprentice.”

“Good night, my master,” Twilight said, drifting off to sleep, glad to be out of her armor, which sat near the foot of the bed. “What does the schedule look like for tomorrow?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he said with a smile.

Author's Note

I don't think Luna likes Spike all that much, or at least doesn't appreciate his informal attitude. Oh well: Equestria needs him and his expertise more than he needs them.