“So, Where do I dump the meat?” Dante asked, oddly cheerful.

“W-well, since all the an-animals left, right h-here is fine” Fluttershy said.

Dante shrugged the Hollow-Hydra off to the left, away from Twilight. ‘Huh, when Twilight said ponies are omnivores, she couldn’t maintain eye contact. With humans that doesn’t mean much, but ponies… I wonder…’ he looked at Twilight and said “Hey Twilight, mind fetching some firewood? I’ll dig a roasting pit”.

Twilight visibly shuddered, as she was saying “Uh, s-sure. I’ll go do that.”

Dante watched her trot off to Fluttershy’s cottage. ‘Well, that confirms it. She’s almost as bad as Applejack about lying.’ He turned back to Fluttershy, asking “So what is her full name again?”

“Oh, it’s Twilight Sparkle” she said, looking over at the corpse before trotting after Twilight. “I’ll go help her, if that’s okay.”

“Sure thing. Hurry back, I’m hungry.” Dante called after her.

Twilight was searching for firewood, dreading what was to come. She knew, however, that given the reason behind the first Griffon/Pony war, she made the right choice. She looked up, noticing Fluttershy coming her way.

“Hi, Twilight, do you mind if I help?”

“Sure, you could if you wanted. Besides, it’s your wood, after all. I’ll cut some more next week, okay?” Twilight said.

“Um, that’s all right, I can manage. Wouldn’t want to burden you.” Fluttershy replied with an adorable smile.

Both mares’ ears perked at a low rumbling sound. “What in Equestria is that?” Twilight said. They peeked around the side of the cottage, seeing Dante supporting himself on his front two and back two legs, slowly spinning in place, the other eight legs digging furiously.

Suddenly he stopped when it was about two feet deep and crawled away to look at his work. “Pit’s done!” he yelled. ‘Wow, can he dig!’ Twilight thought.

Dante looked at the mares as they returned, Fluttershy carrying a small bundle of wood on her back, using her wings to keep it in place, and Twilight levitating what looked like an entire tree’s worth of wood.

“Yeah, that should be about enough wood. Just go ahead and dump it in the pit, girls.”

“Okay.” Both mares said in unison.

Once they had, he placed himself over the pit, just as he had while digging, but looking between his legs, using the rest to arrange the wood.

“Hey, Fluttershy, do you mind fetching the flint? I’m not too good at fire magic yet.” Twilight said.

“No need, I’ll light it.” Dante said. He started shifting back to his Kitsune form.

“Are you sure? How are you going to light it?” Twilight asked, cocking her head.

“Like this.” Dante took a deep breath, and exhaled black-purple flames, igniting the wood. Twilight jumped back, wide eyed, mane frizzled.

“How did you do that? Behir don’t breath fire!” Twilight practically yelled.

“Still a Hollow, remember?” Dante said.

“Heh heh, forgot, sorry.” Twilight looked at him sheepishly.

“No problem. I’m hard to offend.” Dante said, smirking under his mask.

‘How am I going to clean the hollow? Oh, right. Behir have huge, razor sharp horns for preening.’ He proceeded to cut open the hollow, spilling its organs. Twilight looked quite disturbed, yet for some reason, Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind at all.

“So, what cut do you girls want? Haunch, ribs, flank steak, flat iron, it’s all there, pick what you want.” Dante said, testing the girls. He wasn’t expecting this, though.

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could I have a leg?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sure thing, little lady” Dante said, showing no signs of his confusion, while Twilight gaped at her. ‘Okay, not what I was expecting.’

“Uh, I’m f-fine. I u-uh, ate ear-earlier.” Twilight said.

“Okay, how you want it cooked, Fluttershy?” Dante said. ‘That’s more what I was expecting’

“Raw, please. If that’s not too much trouble” Fluttershy said, eyeing the meat.

‘Wasn’t Twilight lying? Ponies eating meat… That is creepy…’ Dante thought, slicing through the desired cut. “I’ll throw the ribs on to cook for you girls.”

When the meat was cooking, leg sitting off to the side, Dante shifted back, wincing a bit, as a headache cut through his head. ‘Okay. Shifting for too long causes pain. Noted for the future.’

“So, Twilight.” Dante said.

“Yes?”

“I noticed you couldn’t maintain eye contact when you told me about ponies being Omnivores.”

Twilight tensed, taking a deep breath to calm herself, but gagging when the scent of the cooking hollow hit her.

“Uh huh. That’s what I thought. Why did you lie to me, Miss Sparkle?” Dante said, not a trace of venom in his voice.

“W-well, about a sixteen hundred years ago, the Griffons started a war with us ponies, because they thought of us as nothing but food. They believed that anything unable to eat meat, was prey, and that prey wasn’t smart enough to be sentient. So I uh, just thought you might think the same way… Sorry…” She said, wincing at the end.

“Pfft, if I thought that, I’d off myself real quick. Before I became a Hollow, I was a vegetarian. Turns out, not very healthy for a human. Made me weak. Made me slow. Ended up blasting myself with my own spell, trying to save some people, hope they got saved anyway. Died, met God, sort of, prayed to come here, got turned into a hollow along the way. Got lucky, though. Turns out, because I gave my life trying to save others, I got to live again.” Dante said nonchalantly.

“Wait, not healthy?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yup, humans are omnivores, some herbivores, others carnivores. I tried to be an herbivore, but I needed a high protein diet. I didn’t like eating things that never got the chance to fight back. But yeah, I see where you’re coming from, Twilight. All is forgiven.” Dante said with a slight chuckle.

“Thanks. So you use magic?” Twilight asked, before gagging again at the smell.

“How about I tell you tomorrow, Twilight. You aren’t looking so comfortable.”

“No no, I’m *gag* Fine, really.”

“So, Fluttershy, why did you want that meat?” Dante asked, noticing she wasn’t gagging.

“Well, sometimes hurt carnivores, like wolves or wild cats, come to me. Normally I just gather some out of the Everfree from animals that died in there. It’s sad, but nature has a cycle.” She said.

“Well, you certainly seem more comfortable with me. And… are… are you sniffing the air?” Dante asked, uncertainly.

“Um, well… yes…”

“Okay then. Any reason why, and how worried should I be about getting butchered and fed to wolves?” Dante asked, teasingly.

“Oh dear, I’d never do that! I admit… I enjoy the smell… Maybe it has something to do with Grandma…” Fluttershy said, looking at him with big, sad, puppy eyes. ‘Oh Gods is she cute.’

“Wait, Grandma? What does your grandmother have to do with this?” Twilight asked.

“Well, she was a Griffon. That’s why my wings are larger than a normal Pegasus.” Fluttershy said, looking down at the ground.

“So in other words, you are part carnivore?” Dante asked.

“Yes, though I’ve never tried meat. I always worry that if I do, I might want more, and hurt some animals…”

“Huh… If you ever want to try, let me know. This world seems to have plenty of Hollows in those woods” Dante said, looking to the forest. ‘Okay, I really hope she says no.’ He thought, a little creeped out.

“No, I couldn’t. I still worry…” she said, oblivious to his discomfort.

Both mares shivered, having heard a loud roaring howl from the forest. Dante lifted his head… And let fly a howl, louder than anything the girls had ever heard. They felt the very earth beneath them tremble, more than a little afraid.

“What w-was that about?!?” Twilight yelled once Dante had finished.

“Just marking Ponyville as my territory. If you prefer, I could always do so the old fashioned way.” Dante said with a chuckle.

“Your territory?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, that way most of the hollows will stay away. I just marked it as my hunting grounds, and all souls within as my prey, and mine alone.”

“Wait, your prey? Y-you eat ponies?” Twilight asked, getting up and backing away from him.

“I could, but I won’t. It just means hollows weaker than me won’t come here, looking for an easy meal. I will only eat other hollows, and those souls who turn themselves over to evil.” Dante said, calming Twilight down a bit.

“What do you mean, turn themselves over to evil? I can’t see anypony doing that.” Twilight said, eyeing him suspiciously. “And how did you know the name of the town?”

“Well… shit…” Dante grimaced under his mask. “No point trying to hide it now. Back in my world, before I died, there was a children’s show, aimed for young females. It was called ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It was well done enough that it had acquired a large following, known as bronies and pegasisters, male and female fans of the show, respectively, who were teenage to adult in age. The show was centered around six characters, you two being two of them. I remember bits and pieces of the show, but not much. I remember Ponyville, Appleloosa, Canterlot, Hoofington, as being town names. I remember what a cutie mark is, I remember nothing else though. I think my memories were stripped or locked away when I came here, probably by God.”

“So, we are… fictional?” Twilight asked, obviously on the verge of a breakdown.

“No, nor was the show. We were seeing another world through the mind of the show’s creator, albeit, through a filter. You are just as real as I am, not fictional.” Dante said, trying to soothe her uneasy mind. “This is what I was trying to avoid, existential crisis.”

“I… I see… Good to know. So, do you know who Celestia is?” Twilight asked, Dante turning the meat to check it, before pulling it off with his teeth.

“No clue. Sounds familiar. She, or he, a friend of yours?”

“She is the Princess, co-ruler of Equestria.” Fluttershy said, licking her lips.

“So, you met a God, could you describe it?” Twilight asked, a curious gleam in her eyes.

“Sure. He... She… Whatever, it was a pony, like you two, both wings and a horn, taller than you two, midnight blue, cutie mark of a crescent moon on a black field, ethereal mane, seemingly of the night sky, blowing without a breeze. She, he, had blue eyes, a black crown, and a chestplate bearing her cutie mark.” Dante said, not looking at the two mares. “Her energy was soothing. Yeah, it was a female… Huh… Anyway, she said to avoid her lookalikes counterpart here. Said the other’s energy would be very damaging to me.” He turned, noticing somehow, their jaws had hit the ground from a full stand.

“Jeez, you girls okay? That looks painful. So who did I describe?”

“You… You just described Princess Luna to a T…” Twilight said incredulously.

“Princess… So I need to avoid this Celestia…” Dante said, narrowing his eyes.

“So, hollows eat souls?” Fluttershy asks, shaking slightly.

“Yeah, we do. However, the magic of this place is really similar to soul energy, so I won’t need to. I’ll still eat hollows, though, if they try to attack town.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I was worried you’d eat somepony.” Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Not unless they are evil. Even then, they would have to have committed one of the three great evils beyond question for me to eat first, ask questions later.” Dante said.

“What are the three great evils?” Fluttershy asked.

“Murder, rape, and enslavement are the three great evils. The attempt of any or all is just as evil as the act itself. Each are punishable by one another. To commit, or try to commit, one or more is to give up all one’s rights, reducing them to nothing more than an intelligent object. They are no longer a person, for by attempting or committing one or more is to willingly give up all your rights.” Dante said, eating a rib, bone and all.

“I see… I… I can’t say I agree to how you punish them, but I also can’t say they don’t deserve it…” Twilight said, seeming to be very saddened.

“Huh, figured you’d fight me fang and claw saying everyone deserves a second chance.” Dante said, brushing a tail against her side, causing Twilight to blush brightly.

“Well, I-I need to g-get home n-now. See ya!” Twilight said, galloping off. ‘Odd. Ah well, meat time. Man this stuff is good!’ Dante thought, seeing her run off.

About an hour later, having finished his meal, eating all but the set aside leg of the Hydra, Dante sighed, and stood up, Fluttershy, who was sitting beside him, watching the fire, looked at him curiously.

Dante took a deep breath, inhaling all the flames, pulling the very energy out of the fire, putting it out quickly.

“Well, it’s late, and I’m tired. Better go find a place to sleep. Thank you, Fluttershy. I’ll bring a few trees by tomorrow, to replace the wood we burnt.”

“Oh, no! I can’t let you sleep outside! Come inside, you can sleep here.”

“That isn’t really necessary. I should be fine, and I don’t want to put you out.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble, here, come inside.” She says, grabbing his paw and dragging him into the cottage.

Once inside, Dante noticed all the animal hutches in her house. ‘Wow, she really has a lot of pets.’ he thought as she drug him upstairs to her bedroom.

“Well, here’s the bed, make yourself comfy while I go make up the couch. Ii-f that’s okay, I mean.” Fluttershy says, seeming to be shy again.

“No. No way am I making you sleep on the couch. Not. Going. To. Happen.”

“Well, I could take the bed, and you could sleep with me.” She says, barely stammering at all. Dante turns red enough, even his mask is blushing.

“I think I’ll go sleep outside for a bit. In an icy lake.” He says, turning around to leave, all nine tails wrapped around his lower half and walking funny.

Fluttershy looks on, confused, before she turned just as red as Dante, realization dawning on her. “Eep, n-not l-like that! I m-meant we could share the b-bed, not rut!” She said after him, following closely.

“I know what you meant. It’s just… how it sounded got a reaction. Didn’t know I could still do that as a hollow.” Dante said, half to himself.

“I still think we could share the bed, if that’s okay. But I’m really fine with the couch.” Fluttershy said, finding her eyes drawn to a certain area, still covered by his tails.

“All right, that will work. After I dry off. I still need a cold shower or bath.” Dante said, still blushing heavily.

“I have a bathtub you can use, if you want.” Fluttershy offered, wondering why she couldn’t keep her eyes off him.

“Thanks, lords know I need it.” Dante said as Fluttershy led him to the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Dante walked out of the bathroom, Fluttershy waiting out in the hall for him. “Thanks for that. Think I figured out how to dry off fast.” He closed his eyes, focusing on his fur. After a few seconds, his fur began to glow a dark purple, giving off heat.

“H-how are you doing th-that?” Fluttershy squeaked out.

“Same way I breath fire, but through my fur instead of my mouth.” He said. Now completely dry, he let the flames go out that had formed. “Well, ready for bed?”

“S-sure. Sure, it is rather late, after all.”

As the two climbed into the bed, Fluttershy said “Good night, Dante. Sorry if I get a little cuddly during the night.”

“It’s *yawn* alright. Just don’t try anything more, okay?” Dante asked, teasingly, making both of them chuckle as they fell asleep.

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay, this one was a pain to write.