Devil Mare Cry

The Fate Of Two Worlds

This was it, the beginning of the end. Tucked down onto the ground using the Yamato as support to keep him up, barely crouched, Vergil was battered, bloody, and bruised; he had used up most of his demonic energy and was slowly starting to near his limit. Vergil was powerful, there was no doubt about that, but ever since he got here, his demonic magic had been changing; it took some time to adjust; there was no demon world in this universe, so while his power would regenerate naturally over time, his recovery time would be significantly delayed.

Angrily, he bit his lower lip, trying to desperately think of anything he could to try and find a way past this nightmare scenario. Everything was a disaster; he should have seen this coming a mile away. There were so many signs that hinted at this turn of events. Yet, the half-devil chose to ignore it out of spite, the idea that if he were able to handle one thing, then, of course, he'd be able to handle another thing despite being more catastrophic than anything else he had dealt with here during this time in this world – what a foolish mistake he made.
A grave error that should have never happened due to his carelessness. Why did every world he came to seem to fall apart at the seams? Either by a wrong decision or a series of unfortunate events, everything seemed to end in ruin for him; misery must love his company, he supposed.

The surrounding landscape was nothing short of a hellish and horrific scene. The once pristine ocean blue of the sky was now stained with a river of blood-red crimson; clouds were pitch black, a shade of black so dark that each cloud looked like a miniature void of darkness. The usual glow of bright green in the grass of the fields and plains, now littered by colorless dead grass, plants, and wildlife, touched the massive black mass of dark magic slowly permanently corrupting the lands, killing any living things that would make any brief contact with the energy field, this black magic mass, was the manifestation of death in the form of pure harmful and malicious energy.

All around Vergil laid the bodies of ponies that bravely tried to stand up and defend their town, only to be mercilessly killed, or at the very least, gravely wounded and left on the brink of death. Floating high in the air, what was left of Ponyville stood the figure who had caused it all: Daemon Hellfire, a pure-blood demon back from his later father's period in time. He hovered in the air, his long black hair waving in the breeze from the stolen Alicorn Magic he had retrieved. He was the same size as Vergil – a demon in human skin just like him, but due to all the magic he had consumed, Daemon had now become what was close to a god of death, and he took great pride in reminding everyone of it.

"Look around you, Vergil. Look at the mess you've made. All this chaos, death, and destruction. It's on you!" He cackled darkly, clearly enjoying the power wielded in his grasp.

"If only you had chosen to return when you had the chance, you could have spared yourself from all this." A short pause turns into a sinister, dark cackle.

"Then again, I'm glad you did because that means I get to have the bonus of torturing the son of my arch nemesis. I get the luxury of all the Alicorn magic in this world AND Sparda's power simultaneously. And I CANNOT WAIT!" The pure blood demon taunts, giving a dementedly satisfied expression as he revels in the success of his plan; after centuries of endless confinement, he was back at last in full power, and now that he had come this far with his plan, the demon was more than ready to take over the world and entire multiverse.

"The only way you get that power is if you kill me, so good luck because you're going to need it,"
Vergil warns, rising back up to his feet, but is right away met with a large black tree branch made of shadow that grabs him and sends him flying through the charred structure of four homes in the ruins of Ponyville, plums of dust debris and smoke as he's sent through each wall before landing right on a large tree trunk, the impact of his fall snapping the tree clean in half as the tree fell on top of him.

Thinking he's knocked Vergil out, Daemon turns his back, only for Vergil to emerge from the dust and debris, a bright white glow of energy trailing behind him with a thunderous charged uppercut armed with the Beowulf light gauntlets; the strike rattles Daemon's jaw and is launched up into the air for a brief few seconds before reappearing below before Vergil had a chance for a follow-up attack.

While in the air, the half-devil switches weapons, the white gauntlets of light disappearing into his soul as the Yamato reappears in his grasp. Charging up a large portion of demonic energy to his arms and blade, blue energy appears, creating a larger blade thanks to the enhancement of his power; he's about to go in for a powerful strike before Daemon stops him in his tracks as he revealed someone trapped inside of a transparent red magic bubble.

"Ah ah ah, think carefully about what you do next, Vergil. One wrong move, and I'll end Princess Twilight's Sparkle right here!" His demonically distorted voice rings out into demented laughter, a laugh that sounds like the cackling of a complete psychopath.

Gritting his teeth in anger, Vergil bit his lip; as much as he didn't want to admit it, Daemon had the upper hand here. The Cambion knew enough about Daemon to see that he wasn't bluffing. Much to his great dismay, Vergil knew that his hands were tied.

His eyes shut in disgrace, dammit! If only he had acted quicker, then this would have never happened. The half-devil didn't want to admit defeat, but what else could he do? He had Twilight at his mercy, and even though he knew he should find another way, he just couldn't let something happen to Twilight. She was far too unique to him.

With a defeated sigh, scornful blue eyes glared at Daemon, who had just looked at him with a smug grin. The urge to punch him in his smug face grew, but with Twilight's life at risk, he wouldn't dare do anything that would cause her to get hurt.

"Fine… what do you want, Daemon?" Vergil reluctantly asks, his glare not leaving the shadow demon as he waits for his answer, though he is sure he already knows what his demand would be.

"It's straightforward. Surrender to me all of your father's power, and I'll let your little Pony live. The choice is yours, but don't keep me waiting; I get bored easily."

"NOO! Vergil! Don't do it!" the purple Alicorn exclaimed, her sweet voice slightly muffled from the confinement of the bubble. She looked down at him with drooped ears and sad, watery purple eyes. She pleaded for him to stop. If Daemon had his hands on Sparda's power combined with the Alicorn magic he already had, there would be nobody in the world or universe to stop him.

"Twilight!" Vergil shouts up at her. She puts her right front forehoof against the bubble as their eyes meet and never leave, even with the height that separates them.

"It's… it's okay, Vergil. I'm not worth it.." Twilight weakly added, taking her right forehoof back. She was getting weaker and weaker. Judging by how bad she looked, he could tell just by the sight of her that she wouldn't be able to last another ten minutes in there. Her time was running out, and he needed to act now before it was too late; it was moments like this where his emotions made it difficult to keep his composure. However, despite the internal struggle, he stayed calm – a testament to his years of combat experience.

The half-devil said nothing; his expression said it all; the emotions in his deep blue eyes spoke volumes in the way they would frown at the sight of her; it was hard to see her trapped in a red bubble, helpless and slowly dying. The bubble was draining her of her magic and life force the longer she remained in there second by second. His stoic blue eyes looked at her, a sparkle in his hues at her sad face. She meant so much to him. Vergil knew this was precisely how Daemon would get what he wanted. Even with all the Alicorn magic in his grasp, Vergil still had a fighting chance of defeating him, and he knew it, too, but he just couldn't put Twilight's life at risk. She was too special to discard, even for the world's fate.

"…After all we've been through… you're more than worth it."

Prologue End

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Turn Of Events

Five months earlier…

The cold, cruel atmosphere of the demon world never changed. With every transformation the demon world underwent, the barren, unforgiving, cold, and hot atmosphere filled the air with a looming sense of dread for the unsuspecting visitor. However, the two brothers knew exactly what to expect here, especially since this place always felt familiar. This world was part of their heritage, although they preferred the human world over the demon world.

It had been a very long four months for the sons of Sparda; the demon world always had several layers and depths that never changed. One wrong turn and you could end up on an entirely different part altogether, so knowing the logistics of this realm and its constantly changing landscapes was always imperative to keep in mind. At this point, it was on instinct whenever they were here. Vergil had expected them to be finished three months ago.

Still, they had found that this version of the demon world was the deepest it's ever been, which made sense since even the world around them was trying to protect its only gateway back to potentially invading the human world. If such a thing were ever to happen again, humankind wouldn't stand a chance this time, and humans were crucial to the continuation of the world he and Dante were so familiar with.

"So we're finally done." Dante shot his older brother a proud, toothy grin.

"Damn, I guess time does fly when your havin' fun, huh?" He jokes, knowing all too well that this wasn't precisely what Vergil would call fun.

"Well, if you'd like to stay here and continue to kill demons for chuckles and amusement, then by all means." Vergil retorts. While it did feel nice to be on equal grounds with Dante again, the elder half-devil was more than ready to leave the demon world, especially after four months of battle, sparring, and not exactly a healthy sleep either, which was expected, no one could just sleep in the demon world without being killed in their slumber,

Every devil and demon down here saw Vergil and Dante with a permanent target on their backs due to their father's past heroic act – something their fellow demonkind would never forget for eternity. Despite the headaches it often would put them in, Vergil and Dante never questioned what their father did. He was a hero and always would be, no matter what anyone said about him.

"Hell no!" Dante exclaimed. "It's been four damn months, and I haven't had a single slice of Pizza since! As fun as kickin' demon ass is, I'd choose Pizza any day."

His younger brother's response prompted him to scoff.

"Of course, only you would suffer from pizza withdrawal…" Vergil muttered, shaking his head at his brother's antics. He was very much used to this type of thing from him, but it was still a little annoying. That's precisely how a sibling was supposed to be, so it would be strange if he didn't act like this.

"Hey, you suggested I take a break from Pizza for a while. Well, this was it." He shrugged his shoulders, raising his arms with empty palms.

"I prefer sitting by the fire with a good book and tea. Now that's a fun night, not gorging on Pizza and watching old eighties cartoons," Vergil comments, a light jab of his own as he recalls his brother's habits, something he learned during one of their many chats throughout their stay here.

"I swear, Verg, you're such an egghead. Ya got books on the brain all the time." Dante fires back, something he always liked to bring up in these little bits of brotherly banter.

"Knowledge is also an effective form of power. It would be best if you considered that in your next job. Perhaps you could get jobs done faster and wouldn't be in debt." Vergil answered back, curving the ball a bit in their back-and-forth.

"Uh, yeah, whatever. It's more fun to jump in and get crazy." Dante replies, wearing a proud grin as if he made the most powerful statement ever. That is typical of Dante.

"Right, you have fun with that." Pushing up the blade from the sheath with his thumb, Vergil closes his eyes, picturing the human world in his mind before his sword glows brightly. He slices in a crisscross pattern, cutting in the shape of an 'X' before the two slices in space and time rip and open a portal, mirroring a crystal-clear picture of Devil May Cry through the rift.

"You comin'?"

Dante asks, looking back at his brother over his shoulder as he stands still in front of the open portal.

"Go ahead; I'll be right behind you shortly. I'm going to make sure this area is clear quickly. I plan to use this space in this part of the demon world to store things. Traveling with less is more efficient for combat situations, after all."

Dante just chuckled and shook his head. This was just like Vergil. He always had something to do and made sure work was one hundred percent complete. Ever since his demon half brought chaos to the human world, Vergil had been working extra hard to try and clean up the mess he made of the human world; humans were still alive but barely holding on, so to make up for what he's done, the elder half-devil had been pushing himself. Redemption was impossible, but he at least wanted to do the best he could to show the world he was trying.

"Alright, see ya in a few bro."

Dante stepped through the portal with his usual waving salute, returning to the human world. Vergil spent a few moments scoping the area around them, making sure there were no signs of demons; once he confirmed it, he planned to sever the connection to the other parts of the demon world and entirely turn it into a space for storage. The scouting of the area had taken about ten minutes.

Content with this place, he was about to draw his blade again when suddenly, he felt a swift jolt of ancient demon energy. The rising power was strong enough to shake the ground below his black belted combat boots lightly; he wasn't even given enough time to react; the moment his eyes looked back in front of him, he was met with a shadow figure made of pitch black shadow.

Slowly, the shade around him fades, revealing a man about Vergil's height (6'5) with long silver-blonde hair, sharp pointed ears, and piercing red eyes. He wore a long black open trench coat revealing his slender build; he looked a bit slimmer than it looked in the history books; maybe he wasn't at full power yet, which gave Vergil an advantage.

"So… the traitor had a son, did he!" The man scowled angrily, clearly harboring an especially heated grudge for Sparda.

"Well, at least I can make his son suffer." With a dark, distorted chuckle, a flash of darkness flares around him for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, there's a giant claw coming right for Vergil, aiming for his neck. Thinking fast, Vergil bends his legs back. He arches, evading the claw strike as the sharp, razor-like claws zipped past his face.

A shadow suddenly extended from below to impale Vergil from the back. But the half-devil is one step ahead, and in a blur of midnight blue, he teleports away, a blur of midnight blue reappearing quickly behind the demon, and with the blade pointed at him, Vergil swung his sword, slicing the demon across his chest, a hiss emits from him at the slight pain, but it contorts. A shadow foot suddenly extends and kicks Vergil in the back of the head. He wasn't expecting it, so he took a few steps back.

Quickly he regained his balance, and in a burst of immense speed, a blue after-image trailing behind him due to the velocity, Vergil came in with a hard stab, impaling the demon right in the stomach; he hisses in pain as the blade tip pierces through his back, but uses this moment to manifest some shadow hands to move up and reach for his Yamato, Vergil quickly caught what he was doing, and used his strength to jerk his arm forward to fight him off, and he does but in the fumble, of the claws grip the blade of his Yamato with red energy.

Immediately upon contact with the sword, the magic in the sword clashes with the demon's magic. The reaction and intensity of two powerful forces of power colliding create an explosion of black, purple, and blue energy; the explosion is so great that the shockwaves immediately push both demons back.

The shockwaves causing them to hit the ground hard, Vergil lost his grip on the Yamato during his collision with the pavement, and the final impact causes a giant portal to open, a colorful portal, but had no mirrored view like it usually did. The exact second the rift opened in full, the currents of flowing energy began to pull everything around it, causing him to cling to a statue stuck to the ground desperately.
Steadying his vision, Vergil notices that the demon has also spotted the portal and is again trying to reach the Yamato. Taking a leap of faith, not wanting the Yamato to fall into the wrong hands, Vergil lets go of his only landline to this world and lets the current pull him, thus allowing him to grab the Yamato. This seemed to be what he wanted, though, as not a moment later, the demon lunged at Vergil, tackling him midair, a grunt at the collision as the two were dragged in.

As the two demons fell endlessly through the magic wormhole, they clung to each other, fully engaged in combat. Vergil gripped the demon's coat collar while the demon grabbed his coat sleeve. As they spiraled through the portal, the two threw punches at each other. Vergil was getting clawed in the back multiple times while Vergil was punching and cutting back in retaliation.

The wormhole's energy currents became more intense, causing the two to spiral as they drifted, leaving trails of blood from each other floating behind them as they fought. Finally, there was a fork at the end of this current, which connected to another current, leading to another direction, and they were heading right for it. In a last-ditch effort to do some damage to each other, moments before they reached the fork in the energy current, both went in for one final, critical strike, and both succeeded.

Vergil got several claws plunged into his chest, which tore off a part of his skin, causing him to bleed. At the same time, Vergil's opponent suffered multiple lacerations along his chest and body, even losing an entire chunk of his side, leaving behind a bloody mess. Right after both got their last strike on one another, they hit the fork, and in one sudden swoop, the demon he was fighting was taken by the current, bringing him in the direction opposite Vergil's.

The two shot each other a cold glare while still in the eye's view. Just before he was out of view, Vergil saw the demon flash him a sinister smile before he was up and off sight; he didn't like that smile; it was there when Vergil thought he might have done right what he wanted. Ultimately, all he could do now was see precisely where this strange portal would take him.

Minutes passed, and there was, at last, a bright white light at the end of the tunnel of colorful energy. First, there was a flash of bright white, then back in darkness. The portal opened and down fell Vergil. Unfortunately for him, the portal rift that dropped him here picked a rather lousy angle from which to fall. Vergil had little time to react. Within seconds, he felt a sharp pain shoot from his back to his chest. The Cambion had just landed on two sharp rocks, and they had impaled him in the back of the shoulders and came out just above his pectoral muscles; blood shot from his mouth as the force of the sharp rock. With a painful groan, Vergil knew that as much as this hurt, he couldn't stay like this.

“…Damn, it's not my lucky day today..” He thinks to himself. The pain was grueling, to say the least; slowly looking at his surroundings, he managed to spot a way down from where he was; it was just a matter of getting out of this predicament. Blue eyes darted back and forth from the path of rocks down below and his wound; he knew what to do, and it wouldn't be pleasant. Taking a deep breath, he mentally braces himself for the unpleasant pain his body is about to be in. With a final breath, he cleared his mind, understanding that he needed complete focus to do this right.

“Grraaaahhhhhhh aaaagghhhh!” He groaned out loud in pain as he forced his arms to wiggle free, making the rocks plunge deeper into him, making more blood drop on the green grass below, painting parts of it red.

This was torture, but he needed to get himself free. Gritting his teeth to the point where they rattled at his clenching, Vergil pushed himself downwards to grab the rock point. With a precise twist using his demonic strength, he managed to snap both pieces in half, successfully freeing him. Though this would cause him to tumble to the ground, the elder son of Sparda managed to slow his fall by briefly grabbing a loose branch before it snapped in his grasp. Thankfully, it had slowed his fall enough to the point where he could throw his body towards the grass, and with a light thud, Vergil hit the ground.

"….At long last.." He weakly rejoiced, slowly rising to his feet. Looking at where he landed, Vergil noticed something: the Yamato was missing!

"Dammit!" He cursed as his eyes began to scan everywhere around him. After looking around for about ten minutes, Vergil spotted a silver shine of moonlight reflecting off the blade. Reaching for it, he's met with an unfortunate sight. It was the Yamato, alright, but it was in two pieces.

"…Great, what next?"

A question he would soon regret asking, as suddenly the forest became dead silent, the bugs stopped creaking, and the nocturnal birds stopped their hunts and birdsongs; there was nothing but a dead silence; it was like he couldn't even hear himself think, it was that thick. Less than a second later, the silence is cut in half as the loud, beastly roar echoes behind him. Blue eyes dart to the side to look behind him with a slight tilt of his head. Standing before him was a beast with the body and head of a lion and the head of a goat and snake; it even had a lizard's tail; what the hell was this thing?

"…I had to ask."

With an irritated sigh, he knew he had to fight; thankfully, since this wasn't a demon, he wouldn't need to use too much of his power. Besides, he had to make this fight quick because he had already used up a lot of energy, and the added wounds didn't help his healing. If anything, it just delayed it even more. Vergil had luckily packed another weapon with him. He had taken this back from Dante. Closing his eyes, he bends his legs and goes into a fighting stance. Right when his pose is in place, in a bright flash of white, the Beowulf light gauntlets appear on his fists and feet.

"Let's get this over with."

The beast lunged at him first, and Vergil charged up some of his demonic power. His right fist began to glow before he unleashed an unforgiving punch right into the lion's head of the beast, making it roar in pain. It went in again for another lung, this time quicker, trying to catch him by surprise, but he was ready.

The second it was airborne in front of him, Vergil raised his knee. His right leg gauntlet began to glow, and less than a second later, he unleashed a wave of heavenly-charged kicks, hitting each of the three heads multiple times before he followed up with a forward-charged haymaker punch, sending the beast directly through multiple trees before it laid there, motionless. As the energy returned to the core of his body, the gauntlets immediately disappeared into his soul.

"Ngh… I'm almost at my limit.." Putting an arm over his bleeding wounds, he checks to make sure he's in the clear and finally moves forward. "I… gotta get out of this forest.." He tiredly reminds himself, forcing himself to push on. Vergil was much stronger than this, but the four long months of gardening in the demon world finally caught up with him. He hadn't eaten or slept correctly in far too long; the fatigue was hitting him now, and what horrible timing.

Several minutes felt like hours as he wandered and wandered. Finally, after what felt like forever, he saw the end of the forest, and there was some town that he could briefly make out from the distance. He didn't know where he was going or where he was, but he was running on fumes at this point, so heading toward the only sign of civilization he'd seen since coming to this place was his only option.

Gradually, the closer he got to the end, the heavier his steps felt like they were becoming; it was like his body was slowly starting to shut down; he had pushed himself way too far, and now he was paying for it. Vergil barely manages to make it, and the second his boot takes the first step onto the grass outside the forest, he can feel his body tell him that this is it; he will fall and tumble to the ground. He did, landing with a thud. He manages to roll over onto his back, but he can feel his consciousness begin to fade.

"What a pathetic way to die.." Is the last thing he says to himself, unsure of what will happen next; all he can do is lie here while his overworked body punishes him for going overboard. Just before his vision goes black, there's a voice.

"Hey! Are you okay over there?!"

Everything goes dark, and the quiet of exhaustion takes him. Vergil has bouts where he briefly regains consciousness, and whenever he does, he catches a quick glimpse around him.

Darkness blinks, and open, groggy blue eyes spot the night sky.
Darkness, eyes open, and then another blink of slow glimpse of consciousness. He glances at this strange magenta-colored energy around the Devil Hunter as he continues to fade in and out of consciousness.

Darkness to another blink, and he can faintly realize he's hovering in the air, but his mind and body are too exhausted to process it all, and he's gone. One final blink and the last thing he spots is what looks like some furry, purple blob talking to him, but that's all he can see before his consciousness finally eludes him after the sound of a door shutting.

The sound of steady trotting of hooves clacking on wood is heard as she rushes inside the Castle of Friendship, shutting the door with her right foreleg. This specimen was unlike any other being she'd ever seen. 'But my curiosity can wait; right now, he needs help,' she tells herself as she lightly levitates the man into the guest bedroom. The moment she lays him on his back, her eyes are met with a red stain under a double blue toned sleeveless button and zip-up vest.

"He's bleeding bad. I should take care of that one right away!" She said to herself as if she were giving herself a mental pep talk to stay calm so she could carefully treat his wounds. Her horn would glow deep pink as she cast a spell that would slowly unbutton the vest and free the zipper so she could pull that down.
Once that was done, her eyes immediately caught sight of his wounds, most notably, the two on his shoulders.

There was a problem, though; she needed to take his shirt off fully to see the wound, so she carefully slipped off his midnight blue long coat and then his sleeveless vest, which gave her the full view of his wounds. Glancing up at his shoulder wounds, she's shocked to see they've closed up a bit, enough to where the bleeding was slowed; how curious. Upon closer inspection, her eyes suddenly began to trace up his chest. She was looking longer than she had thought, and like that, curiosity got the better of her.

"O-oh, wow!" She suddenly found herself looking at his abs, his lean figure that seemed to suit his toned chest well. With a thin blush on her cheek, she tentatively began to reach out and touch his midsection with her right forehoof, but before she could feel how his skin felt – with the absolute worst timing, in walked Spike, a small purple baby dragon, who was a longtime friend of Twilight.

"Twilight, what are you doing?" He suddenly asks, completely catching her by surprise, evident from the little embarrassed yelp that escaped her lips. "EEEK!"

She very quickly took her forehoof back.

"U-Uhhhm, n-nothing!" she quickly replies, hiding her face to shake off the blush and focus back on the task at hoof. "I was returning from having tea with Zecora when I found him lying on the grass just outside the Everfree Forest. He was hurt pretty bad, so I couldn't just leave him there."

"Whoa, he is hurt pretty bad," Commented the little dragon upon propping himself up on the table to look at the wounds on this mysterious, silver-haired stranger. "Huh, I've never seen a creature like this before," he added.

"Me too…but I think I know what he is?" she says, putting a forehoof to her chin. Her horn glows deep pink as she picks up the cloth with her magic, hovering it in the air for a moment before dipping it in water and ringing it out a bit.

"I think he's a human, but I'm not sure entirely." She mused, deep in thought.

"You think? What's making you think otherwise?" the dragon asks, glancing up at the man before returning to Twilight.

"I can sense some Magic within him, something I've never felt before. But I think so. He fits every description of what a human would look like in the books I read. It's strange, though. I always thought humans were just an old Pony's tale."

"I mean, but look what happened with Princess Luna when she was still Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia said her legend was supposed to be an old Pony's tale, too, but it turned out to be true," Spike said.

"You have a point, although she did have a reason to keep every pony in the dark for that one, to prevent a mass panic in Ponyville." She paused as she hummed in thought, thinking over possible reasons why her teacher would want to keep the existence of humans a secret. Then, her eyes light up as an idea pops into her mind.

"Spike, can you do me a favor and look for the book of Equestrian Ancient Legends? I think the information about humans is in either the third or fourth volume." She politely asked, hoping her books would help her like they usually did when she needed specific information.

"Sure thing, Twilight." With that, he smiles at her before turning his back and heading for the door, but before he can exit, she remembers his clothing.

"Oh, Spike, if you don't mind, can you also throw his clothing in the wash, too? He'll probably need some fresh clothing when he wakes up." She asked, magic picking up his jacket and sleeveless vest. Magic tried to wrap up his clothing in a ball so Spike could carry it more easily (Since the clothing was five times his size). As she's working on rolling it up, she feels a weight in his long coat; curious, she pulls it out of the pocket; it was a book with the letter 'V' on it.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure!" Grabbing the balled-up clothing from her Magic, Spike exited the room to put the laundry in and then began his search for the book Twilight had asked about.

For now, she set it down and resumed her treatment, using her magic to run the cloth over his wounds gently; he was still unconscious but reacted to the warm water. A soft groan escaped him as he felt a gentle pressure along his injuries, but it didn't wake him.

"I know it will hurt a bit, but don't worry, you'll be fine." She softly spoke to him, unsure if he could hear her. Suddenly, he shifts his right arm a bit.

"…Thank you.." He subconsciously says before drifting right back off again. Despite not being conscious, his thanks brought a small smile to her; it was good to know he was okay enough to respond, even if it wasn't entirely deliberate. About two hours passed, and Twilight finished cleaning his wounds; she even disinfected and bandaged him up, too, taking great care to tend to him despite being a random stranger, on top of being a being she had only read about in the books.

"You're welcome." She softly replies, gently tucking him in with blankets using her magic. She was about to leave the room when she looked back over at his book. She knew she probably shouldn't pry, but it was a book that was more than likely different from the other books she'd read. The purple Alicorn mentally scolded herself for being so curious, but a bookworm does what a bookworm does best; she couldn't help herself. Flipping open a page, she realizes something about it.

"A poetry book?" She was surprised to find this with her new guest. Many of the poems inside were quite emotional. She even found some handwritten notes left by the man, briefly touching on how it feels to read the poem and its overarching emotions behind it, although the writing looked old and dated. Particular passages of each poem had these notes. She unexpectedly found herself relating to some of his notes and even the poems within. Upon a closer inspection, Twilight noticed one significant detail about this book that made it stand out, it didn't seem like a first issue, almost like it had been copied from another book. Perhaps something happened to the original, and he pieced this one together to replicate it? That was enough to tell her that this book and the poems inside of it, probably meant a lot to him.

Curious purple hues look back at the man lying in the guest bed. She wanted to read more but felt awful for reading without permission, so after flipping through and reading about four poems in their entirety, she closed the book and set it down gently on the nightstand, deciding to check his wounds one last time. Lifting a corner of the bandage wrapped around his shoulders, she was shocked that the scars were healing much faster than she expected.

"Wow, you're not just an ordinary human, are you?" She quietly asks, knowing she won't get an answer; she thinks aloud. Turning off the lamp with one final glance back at him, she finally leaves the room. Her magic very lightly closes the door behind her, leaving the room in darkness.

Hours pass, and night turns to day; as the sun rises high above the sky above the kingdom, Vergil begins to stir a bit before his blue eyes slowly open. He finds himself lying in a bed, looking up at a ceiling that isn't familiar to him. Everything that happened before he woke up flashes, reminding him that it did happen. Vergil tries to get out of bed quickly but is met with a sudden pain in his shoulder, though it is brief.

Looking down at his exposed chest, Vergil could see that he had been bandaged up. Whoever had treated his wounds had taken a lot of care; he could tell by how quickly the pain subsided. Usually, there was a bit more pain whenever a wound of his would heal when infected, but this unknown bandage wrapper had taken great care and time with a thorough cleaning.

His black belted combat boots clacked on the wooden floor.
Vergil spotted his sleeveless vest and jacket neatly folded on the table; they were clean, and someone had washed them for him. Grabbing his sleeveless vest, Vergil removes the bandages on his chest and shoulder, dropping them into the garbage bin near the bed before throwing it on, zipping up his vest, and buttoning it closed, shifting a bit to throw on his midnight blue jacket after he gets his arms through the sleeves, adjusting his collar at the end. Hence, it popped up how he liked it.

The sound of steady boots on the floor prompted the sound of trotted footsteps to head for his door. Once the door swung open, the half-devil was met with a very unexpected sight: a purple pony with mesmerizing big purple eyes, a horn, and beautiful feathery wings. A solid magical energy also seemed to radiate from her being, adding to his many questions.

"Good morning. I'm glad you're up." She politely greeted. Instead of responding, though, he blinks at the sight. Was this Pony… talking?

"U-Uhm.. my name is Twilight Sparkle, by the way." She awkwardly added.

As strange and random as this encounter was, she was most likely the person who had treated his wounds, or at least he thought she did anyway.

"Vergil…" He responds, still slightly baffled that he is now having an intelligent conversation with a talking pony. He has seen weirder things, but this one was a new experience. Walking towards the window, he looks outside, and it's ponies as far as the eyes can see.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Vergil." The purple Alicorn politely replied.

"Likewise." After looking out the window momentarily, he turns his head back to meet her, blue eyes catching her purple-colored hues. "Are you the one who brought me here last night?" he asks, wanting to confirm, although if it was, he wonders how exactly she managed to do that, let alone carry him back here.

"Yes," she nodded. "I have a friend who lives in the Everfree Forest. I was returning home when I found you lying there. You were hurt pretty bad, too. And I didn't think any other pony would find you since not many ponies visit the forest, so I took you back here."

"I didn't think you would be up so soon, though; I thought it would take at least a week or before any sign of distinct healing until I saw how fast one of your wounds cleared up," Twilight added, marveling at how unique this man was, it was still hard to believe she might be looking at a human, and a peculiar type of human at that.

Aside from the apparent physical structure differences between them, the Alicorn couldn't help but remain extra vigilant about this strange magic she could feel coming from within him; she didn't know whether to be cautiously concerned or just curious. Whatever the case, if he had wanted to do her any harm, wouldn't he have done it already? Perhaps he was a friend, after all?

She would still keep an eye on him for a bit more to ensure the safety of Ponyville and Equestria. She was a Princess now, so aside from solving friendship problems, it was also her duty to protect the safety and well-being of every Pony.

"Usually, my wounds heal much faster, but I was already running on fumes even before I ended up in this world," Vergil replies, glancing down at the bandages on his chest and then back to her. Twilight blinks at the end of his sentence. "Did he just say he came from another world? Could it be the one where the other versions of my friends are?" She thought to herself. It was an interesting theory, but it wasn't one that she was confident would be true.

If that were the case, his power would have felt familiar to her, but it didn't. This energy coming from him was something completely unknown, an energy or magic unlike anything she'd ever felt. It was a little intimidating, but she again reminded herself that if he were indeed a threat, he would have acted by now, especially after feeling the magic inside of her, which she was almost positive that he could feel in return.

There was always a way to tell when two were equals to powerful beings, either by a short clash or just a mutual acknowledgment of power. With Vergil, there was no natural way to tell how strong he was in full; there was some unnatural balance of energy inside of him, but that was as far as she could tell, though she couldn't say for sure since that was just a guess.

"Wait, are you saying you came from another world?" she asked, to confirm her theory at least partially.

Vergil nodded. "Yes, I did. My swo-" He stopped himself mid-sentence, causing Twilight to furrow her eyebrows. He just remembered the Yamato; it wasn't with him, which wasn't good. "Pardon the change of subject, but Twilight, did you happen to see a sword near where you found me?" He asked, hoping that she did. The last thing Vergil remembered about his sword was finding it in two pieces. If that blade were to get into the wrong hands, broken or not, that sword was still infused with a powerful demonic magic that was capable of severely damaging the very fabric of space and time as a whole -- one of the many reasons he always made sure to keep his sword with him at all costs.

Twilight hums in thought, a hoof to her chin as she takes a moment to think.
"Now that you mention it, I remember seeing one a little away from where you were lying. It was broken, though. Was that the one?"

Vergil cursed under his breath, so she didn't bring it. Damn, he just hoped that it was still there. If Vergil had come to this world, he knew that the demon from the other day was here, too; he saw him get pulled away by another portal current. With that demon here, this world was in grave danger. The half-devil didn't know much about this demon, whoever he was - he knew his late father. He made that clear the moment he attacked.

As random as this all felt, Vergil suspected this probably had something to do with whatever he was ultimately planning. Now that he was here, only time would tell what would happen next. It all felt a little too deliberate; the way that demon waited for Vergil to jump at him must have set him right up. He cursed at failing to read the scenario carefully, but that was too late now.

"Damn! I'm going to have to go and retrieve it then." He mutters to himself; he just hoped it was still lying in the grass; he would find some way to repair it later. All that mattered, for now, was reclaiming it to ensure that the demon or anyone else wouldn't take it before he arrived.

The purple Alicorn's ears drooped slightly. "I'm sorry. I thought that since it was broken, you wouldn't need it. I thought about bringing it but figured you may have thrown it away." She apologized.

Vergil shook his head dismissively.
"Don't worry about it. There was no way you would have known, so it's okay." He reassured her. Twilight helped him when he needed it, so there was no reason to blame her for not bringing his sword. She could have just left him there to die, yet she didn't. It wasn't ideal for him to be separated from his sword, especially with a Shadow Demon on the loose, but he was still grateful for her help.

"I appreciate your help, but I should probably go to that forest. If you'll excuse me," Vergil said, walking past her and heading for the door.

"Why don't you join me and my friend Spike for breakfast first? He makes the best pancakes," she politely offered. Twilight had no idea how long it had been since he had last eaten, but she assumed it had probably been quite a while since he mentioned running out of energy before he got here. The least she wanted to do was feed him so he was at least full of energy, especially if he was going back to the Everfree Forest.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. The longer that sword is out there, the more unrest I feel." Again, Vergil turns his back, finally exiting the room. As he steps out of the bedroom, he is surprised that he has been staying inside a castle this whole time. The shiny monochrome floor, the long corridor halls with banners hung high above the hall's windows.

Walking down the hall, Vergil finds the stairs leading down, eventually spotting the path to the front doors. He's about halfway down the staircase before the sound of echoed trotting comes in his direction.
"Vergil? Do you even know where the Everfree Forest is?" Twilight asks, looking down the staircase at him; her question makes him stop walking, and silence soon follows, enough to tell her that he didn't know the way, just like she thought.

"How about this? Join me and my friend for breakfast, then once we're finished, I'll come with you?" She asks, inviting him to eat one last time. Thinking it over carefully, despite knowing how important getting his sword back was, the idea of food did sound nice. It had easily been quite a while since Vergil had last eaten, so having his first meal after four months was probably a good idea. He didn't realize how hungry he was until food was mentioned.

"Well.. it has been a while since I last ate. So I suppose I will. But you don't need to come with me. Show me where it is later, and I'll head in from there." He says, politely dismissing her offer to tag along. She didn't need to help him with that.

"Please, I insist. Besides, I don't mind lending an extra hoof." She adds with a smile.

Vergil sighs and agrees. She has already done enough. There was no need for her assistance in looking for his sword, and if this was indeed her castle, he assumed she probably had other more important things to do than help a stranger look for a lost item. "Alright, fine. Lead the way."

Twilight gives him a small half-smile before turning around to walk back up the few steps she had descended while talking to him. While the half-devil followed behind the Alicorn, he took another look around him, taking in the rest of the castle's sights. Vergil had seen a lot of castles in his many ventures, but this one was a little different from the others, although he didn't know why.

"So, I'm guessing this is your castle?" he asks, attempting to converse as he follows Twilight down the hall and towards the dining hall door. He notes the many different designs that stand out from the other castles he had ended up in.

"That's right. I got this castle quite a few months ago. It took me a lot of getting used to, but thanks to my friends, they made it feel more homey." Twilight briefly explained as they entered the massive dining hall. It was beautifully decorated. Whoever did this took great time and detail to put it together like this, and he had to admit, it was pretty impressive. It was very suitable for the dining hall of who he assumed was of royalty.

"I see. Well, I've been to a lot of castles in my time. And this one is magnificent." He complimented. Vergil was used to seeing a lot of dark and retro colors. This castle felt futuristic yet modern at the same time, an odd mix, but it certainly seemed to work well with the aesthetic.

"Thank you. One of my best friends, Rarity, decorated the dining hall. There's one room in here that all of my best friends decorated together, and it's probably my favorite room here." She happily replied as the two arrived at the dining table, where Twilight sat on one of the many chairs.

As Vergil sat at the table shortly after Twilight, Spike jumped onto a chair and began to plate the pancakes. There were three plates and three pancakes for each of them. "Vergil, this is my friend Spike. Spike, this is Vergil."

"It's nice to meet you," the dragon greets Vergil as he hands him his plate, serves Twilight next, and then serves himself right after.

The half-devil gives the small dragon a nod of acknowledgment. "Yes, likewise."

With their plates complete, the trio began to eat, and the start of their breakfast was awkward. The longer the silence extended, the more weird the atmosphere became. To shake it off a bit, Twilight decided to ask some more questions she had, hoping that their new guest would become engaged in some form of conversation.

"So Vergil, you said you came here from another world but didn't finish." She reminded him, optimistic that she would finally get the answers to some of the most pressing questions she had on her mind. "Does it have something to do with that sword of yours?"

Waiting until he swallowed the piece of pancake in his mouth, he gave her a nod.
"It has everything to do with my being here. My sword is called the Yamato, and my late father created it. It's a powerful weapon that can slice through the very fabric of space and time itself. So, you can imagine the amount of catastrophic damage it could unleash if it falls into the wrong hands. That's why I always try to keep my sword with me."

The concern of that demon potentially getting hold of the sword was a significant issue. Still, thankfully, Vergil could recall not sensing his energy anywhere in the forest upon his arrival here into this world. Wherever that demon was now, Vergil was at least confident that he hadn't come to this part of the kingdom; he just hoped he would have time to prepare for whatever was next.

"I didn't know a sword could be that dangerous," Twilight commented, surprised at how mighty this sword was. But something didn't make sense. If it was broken, how would it still have all this power? "It was broken, though. Doesn't that mean it can't be used?"

"Not exactly. Broken or whole, the Yamato is fully infused with the most powerful demonic magic. The magic can still be accessed even if it's in two pieces, and if that person knows what they are doing."

Quickly jumping out of her chair, Twilight lands on all four of her legs." Then we'd better get going right away!"

Rising from his seat, Vergil nods in agreement. While she had asked him questions, Vergil had already finished his plate and had been waiting for her to finish until now. "That was the first breakfast I've had in a while. It was an enjoyable one. Thank you, Spike." He says, wanting to show his appreciation for this dragon. The half-devil was still a bit thrown off being in this world, but he was grateful for being found, these curious beings. He never really expected any help from anyone. Or any pony, in this case.

Spike puts his hands proudly to his sides and gives the devil a half-smile, showing off his baby dragon teeth. He wasn't expecting their new guest to be so mannerly, but it was clear he appreciated it, maybe a little too much.
"It's no problem. I can make pancakes this good in my sleep." He grins, which earns him an amused half-smile from the silver-haired man. The response reminds him of how Dante was with some things, always the one to show off without any shame.

After the very brief exchange, Vergil was the first to be out the door, and Twilight followed, only to be stopped at the doorway by Spike for a moment.
"Oh Twilight. I found those books you wanted. I left both volumes beside your bed in your bedroom."

"Thanks, Spike. I'll see you later." Twilight smiles at her little dragon friend before walking out the door and meeting Vergil, who is already waiting for her outside on the walkway. "Alright, follow me. I'll show you where the Everfree Forest is."

"Very well. After you." Letting the Alicorn lead the way, Vergil followed behind the little Pony. His thoughts were racing. Just what was that demon planning? Who exactly was he? And what did he have planned here in this world? It felt like he had a million questions and didn't have a single answer.

Whatever that demon was plotting, Vergil would have to ensure he was prepared. Even with his lack of information, it wasn't hard to tell that their first encounter in this world would be huge. The half-devil must take caution and be well prepared whenever that happens, and Vergil would do just that.
"Just you wait, demon. I'll find out what you're plotting, one way or another," he thought upon reaching the distant forest entrance.

Location: Smoky Mountains || Time: 11:35 a.m. ||

The sun was high in the sky over the Smokey Mountains, and the two families that resided there were the Hooffields and the McColts. Peace between the two feeding families had finally come thanks to a visit from Princess Twilight Sparkle and her Pegasus friend. That had finally ended the fight that had been ruining the natural valley between the two mountains. The two families worked amongst themselves, conversing in between their daily tasks.
A shadow looms in the distance, watching them from afar with a sinister grin, showing off his razor-sharp teeth, a void of dark energy surrounding his form.

"Not the best ponies to start with, but hey... magic is still magic." The voice says, a dark husk in his tone. With a psychotic grin, the figure walks towards the twin mountains. Long, sharp shadow claws pop out of his hands, dragging them behind him as he moves in; these two families had no idea they would become his first victims. It would only be a tiny step towards his ultimate goal, but even the magic from this pathetic old-timer would be a great way to begin.

"I think I'll take my time killing them."

End of Chapter

Author's Note

Hello FiM readers!
I'm Darkslayer. I used to write stories years ago
I talked about a story like this with a former friend of mine back in the day (About 7 years ago)
After much thought, I figured I'd pop back online and emerge from the dust to try this again.
Needless to say, this is an experimental story, but I do have a storyboard document with plots and stuff planned up until chapter 15 at least for the moment, so I'll see how this does. In the end, I'm probably still gonna finish it. So far, I can see this story maybe surpassing 20 chapters with all I have planned (At least for the moment, I'm adding more whenever idea's come to me.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, if not, well thanks for checking it out regardless.
Happy reading!