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?