Devil Mare Cry

The Fate Of Two Worlds

Location: The Smokey Mountains || Time: 11:47 a.m.

It was a calm early afternoon in the Smoky Mountains; the Hooffields were talking with the McColts as they went about their day, doing their chores within the nature valley between their two homes perched atop each of the twin mountains. The two families had been working in harmony ever since Princess Twilight Sparkle visited their little country mountainside region of Equestria and helped both families stop a decades-long feud that had left the poor valley in a horrid state. Many of the animals had been struggling to find a warm, stable home, and to make it worse, even lacked a proper sustainable food source for far too long. The complete restoration of the Smoky Mountain Valley would take a lot of hard work, but it would all be worth it in the end.

About a couple of months had passed since the Princess's visit, and so far, the valley was beginning to look a lot better than it did when the Alicorn and her Pegasus friend came to solve their friendship problem. Both families were genuinely grateful to be on the same side again in far too long.

The Sun was scorching today, which meant good Sun for the crops. With a tired sigh, Ma Hooffield wipes some sweat off her forehead with her forehoof; she had just planted an entire field's worth of Pumpkins and tomatoes, each given their field section for an even balance of work.

“Ahnn done! It ain’t going to be an easy job, but if we keep workin’ together. Ah'm sure this valley will lookin’ pretty and plump full of produce again in no time!" The old pony cheered.

“Since ya’ll showed my family howta farm, I reckon it might be sooner." Replied Big Daddy McColt as he slowly trotted alongside his neighbor friend. The two families had been complex at work since morning, so it was about time for a break. On their way to join everyone at the McColts, the old ponies walked by a small crop that the Hooffields had planted for the animals. Glancing down at her plants to see if any signs of budding berries were showing, a few plants caught her eye, making her stop in her tracks to take a closer look. Big Daddy McColt doesn’t notice until he looks to the left to see Ma Hooffield isn't with him; looking back behind him, he spots her looking at the crop and approaches her, curious as to why she stopped to check a perfectly healthy crop that was planted a while ago.

“What are ya doin', Miss Hooffield?” Mister McColt asks.

"Them crops here were planted a week ago. They should still be fine."

Ms Hooffield ran her right forehoof over one of the many dead plants. It was confusing because, as far as she could remember, these were already standing tall and close to harvest. She looked up at him with an unmistakable look of confusion.

“That’s why it’s got me bothered, these things were close ta harvestin’ yesterday, how come they died alluva sudden?"

Before either pony could answer that question, the final remaining row of healthy plants immediately wilted and died right in front of them; their eyes widened in shock at this unexplained phenomenon – and they would, unfortunately, get their answers. Both ponies were suddenly met with a prominent humanoid figure. It was tall and wore a long black trench coat, the pitch of black so dark that it almost looked like the coat itself was part of its body. They could very faintly make out pale skin, but it was shrouded in some kind of dark mass of energy.

“Who are you?! Have you been the one poisonin’ our crops!” She shouted, demanding an answer.

The man just chuckles. “Poison? Nope, that’s just me. Pretty cool, huh?" He says with a sinister grin.

“Every little plant in my presence dies. Call it a gift."

"That doesn't sound like no gift to me." She replies, taking a step back.

"Listen, stranger, I dunno why you're here, but I think it's the best time ya leave.” Big Daddy McColt says in his best threatening voice, but it only causes the man to burst out into laughter.

“You, a bunch of earth ponies? Make me leave?” He broke out into a loud laughing fit. Without warning, he shifted in place, harboring speed quicker than a blink. Both earth ponies were suddenly grabbed by the neck and choked. Their forehooves and forelegs squirmed in the demon's grasp, desperately trying to escape his grip. As he continued to choke the life out of them, in a flash, he changed from his human form, shedding it, and in less than a second, his body was completely enveloped in a shadow blacker than midnight on a cloudy evening.

The entire ground began to shake. Just as the two ponies were losing color, their airways getting crushed by the minute he kept his grip, in an attempt to save the two, both families took action, and the demon was hit with several wooden harpoons; they impaled him after they were thrown, but he was unbothered by it, he was more annoyed that he was interrupted. His eyes began to glow a bright red, his empty crimson eyes sending waves of fear throughout their bodies, freezing some in place, paralyzed in absolute terror.

His mouth outstretched a broad, unnaturally massive wicked grin, a grin so vast that it was like he had no constricting muscles limiting it, at least not in this form. Now in his shadow form, shadow claws extended out of his wrists, creating several shadow spikes that were immediately driven right into both ponies, making a mess of blood spurt out of the two as the ponies were impaled in multiple angles, the spikes began to drain the magic energy, and the life force of them simultaneously of the now lifeless ponies that fell limp in his hand, leaving the other ponies horrified at witnessing the brutal slaying both family leaders right before there very eyes had them shaking in their hooves.

His shadow-clad body began to flash as he drained every drop of their Magic and life. With a menacing laugh, he quickly darts towards the terrified remaining members of both families. Fully extending his shadow claws, in one single swipe of his clawed hand, he cut off four of the Hoof Fields heads clean off, creating a mess as their headless pony torsos fell to the ground in a pooling of blood, a bloodcurdling scream of one of the mare victims, before she lost her head, seemed to wake some of the others from their traumatized trance, and without any other option, the ponies quickly turned around on their hooves and took off running for their lives.

“Every pony! Run fer yer lives!” One of the last remaining Hoof Fields shouted, and the rest of them dispersed, this only brought a morbidly amused grin to his face.

“I LOVE it when they run.”

The ponies ran as fast as they could; they didn't want to abandon the place that held so much to both families, but it was either run or be severely murdered. Unfortunately, luck wouldn't be on their side, as he was secretly waiting for them in the shadow of a nearby tree. The second the small slew of ponies stepped on that shadow, they were stuck like glue and tried with all their might to push and pull their hooves out, but to no avail.

They didn’t even have time to realize that it was the end, and a second later, the demon would emerge from the shadow he was hiding in. Piercing red eyes would be the last thing they saw before several hands came out of the shade below his feet. They began to brutally rip the limbs off of each pony one by one, their screams of utter agony before he finished them off by simply crushing their heads beneath his feet, creating a large splattering of blood.

From the bloody massacre, one McColt remained; he was missing his back forelegs, grunting and groaning in utter anguish as he desperately tried to crawl to his escape. However, due to his missing forelegs, the pony had unfortunately left a trail of blood leading right to him, so it didn't take the demon very long to find him.

“Awwww... I bet you really thought you were going to make it. Just think about it." The demon summoned a random shadow chair and sat, watching the pony struggle as he still tried to crawl away.

“You could have told someone about this. You could have gone crying to your precious Celestia about how you're home was attacked by such a horrible creature…” He chuckles between his words.

In one quick move, he rose back up to his feet, driving his heel into the back of the pony, causing him to scream out in agonizing pain; the demon took great pleasure in causing pain, especially when he heard the loud snap of his foot caving in his back. It was almost an addiction to him, or maybe it was, and he was a willing blood junky, entirely giving in to his appetite for mass destruction and insatiable craving for extreme violence. He was a demon in its purest and most evil form. Looking up at his killer with weak eyes, he manages to ask one question.

"W-Who and what are you…" the pony very weakly asks, coughing out blood immediately after his sentence. The question brings an especially menacing grin, flashing the dying pony his unnatural wide grin, showing off his dagger-sharp teeth. Soulless, empty red eyes stare back at the creature at his mercy.

“…I’m Daemon of the Shadow, and you’re life and magic.. are all mine.” He breaks out into a manic psychopathic laugh as he drives two large claws directly through the pony's eyes, killing the poor creature instantaneously. Realizing their only source of support for this valley was gone, the animals began to flee. However, a rather unfortunate group of rabbits ran by him, unaware that his dark energy had already invaded the land here. The exact second the rabbit passed by Daemon, they stopped, their color completely drained as their life forces were taken from them.

Glancing down at the now-dead animals, he grins. "Excellent, looks like my power is starting to increase." Red eyes get a good look at the Smoky Mountains. Looking up at them, Daemon’s lips curve into a twisted grin. “The smoky mountains… the perfect spot to set everything up.” Raising his arms into the air, Daemon begins to levitate, an aura of dark energy surrounding him as he hovers toward the mountain range.

"Enjoy your time here while you can, son of Sparda… in due time, all of the Magic in Equestria will be mine! And with Sparda’s power, I’ll be a god!"

Raising his hands, black orbs of energy manifested in his palms, and he began to gather up material for building; he started his assembly; the Smoky Mountains were now his for the taking. During his construction, he passes by the family memorial fountain that depicted their two founding family members and looks at it for a second, only for the fountain to be entirely destroyed by the simple closing of his palm mere seconds later, a dark and sinister grin as he walks forward to slowly begin planning the design of his new home, he would just need to find the suitable materials first. He would be in the clear to move forward with his shady preparations.

End of Chapter Prologue

Chapter 2: A Dark Cloud Forming In The Distance

Location; Ponyville: Inside the Everfree Forest || Time: 12:04 P.M.

Being back in the forest so soon was weird, especially after all the trouble he dealt with yesterday when he first got here. Still, in a new world like this, Vergil couldn't let his sword just sit there free for the taking; even if that demon didn't get to it, his Yamato still had the potential to cause a lot of destruction if mishandled, so there were far too many risks. All it took was just one unstable discharge of demonic Magic, and even that could be enough to tear a hole into the fabric of space and time here. Then, this world would be either consumed by the black hole it would create or would attract a mass army of demons from his world, ending this reality.

Following the Purple Alicorn closely behind, the half-devil carefully examines their surroundings, making sure there are no beasts or creatures stalking or tracking them. Vergil knew that this forest had dangerous beasts; he had to kill one the night he arrived. Luckily, their surroundings were clear for the time being, so he could focus on the search for his weapon.

"Twilight, just how far in are we going?" Vergil asks. They, unfortunately, didn't see his sword where he was lying, which meant it was further in the forest.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there. My friend may know where it is, too. She knows this forest very well, so if anything important was left here, then there’s a chance she might have seen it." She reassured, and the Alicorn could understand his slight frustration. From all that she had been told about his sword, all of this power and Magic had within it, keeping it with him on his person at all times made complete sense; she just hoped she was right, and Zecora did at least have an idea where it was. If any pony around here knew the Everfree Forest best, it would be her, and if there was anything different about it, the kind Zebra would undoubtedly be the first to notice. This entire situation was beyond her understanding.

For now, though, she would help Vergil find his sword. Once he had it back, though, Twilight still had a few more questions for him to try and help better understand how he had come here and if there was any way she could be of assistance. Helping others was the right thing to do after all, even for visitors from a whole world – and that part of his predicament that she could understand since the purple-furred mare had her own experiences with another globe a couple times.

"I don't understand how this friend of yours would know where it is. This forest is significantly vast, and there’s a lot of ground to cover.”

"It's just a possibility, no guarantee that she does. Either way, I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Careful though. You just had a decent sleep, and you wouldn't want to tire yourself out again," Twilight replies, looking back at him for a moment.

“I’ll be fine. I refuse to leave this forest unless I have the Yamato back in my possession." Vergil answered back; he felt fine now that he had a decent sleep and a good meal in his stomach. He was all set and probably could pull off an all-night search, though he hoped he wouldn't have to. There was still information to gather about this world. If this world had any particular source of power, then he would need to find out exactly what it was. The sooner he found out, the better chance he had to at least get an idea about whatever that dastardly demon was planning. He would still dig for information thoroughly, the more he knew, the better prepared he could be.

"Alright, then we'll just have to keep looking; I'm sure we'll come across it sooner or later." Twilight again reassures him, trying to remain optimistic for her new friend, she just hoped the sword was still here in the forest like she thought it was.
The two are about halfway through the forest. Still no luck with locating it, that was until Vergil stopped in his tracks abruptly causing Twilight to do the same. Curious as to why he stopped, she looks over at him.

"What is it, Vergil?" She asks, tilting her head a bit, but he puts his hand up in response, hushing her for a second, which prompts her to give him a confused look, eyebrows furrowed with one ear down and the other up as she tries to understand why he stopped.

“Wait, don’t you feel that? Focus for a moment, and you’ll feel it.” Vergil suggests, but it just makes the Alicorn more confused.

"Huh?" she hummed, looking ahead; it was only when she closed her eyes to concentrate that she felt exactly what he was talking about. Some kind of magic interference made searching for Yamato's magic aura even more difficult. His sword had a distinct feeling to its energy, and it could be felt when the sword was broken or still at peace. It was like someone had planted a magic seal on it, diminishing its radius significantly from detection.

"Oh, you mean that dark magic energy coming from further in, right?" Twilight asks him. Now, she can tell why he is being cautious.

“Yes, exactly that. It doesn't feel like the Yamato's normal Magic. I think someone didn't want me to find it. It might be some sort of cloaking spell that cuts down the magic radius, almost masking it completely." He mused, taking a wild guess. He couldn't say for sure, but for now, it seemed like it was a plausible theory until they found more detailed and accurate information.

"Do you think it's a trap?" She added another possible theory, one that she was almost positive she was correct about. Twilight still didn't know much, but even she knew a trap when it looked like one, regardless of who or what sent it.

"That very well may be. So once we get closer, you should stay back." Vergil suggested, but before Twilight could react, the two were interrupted by a voice coming in their direction. Vergil didn't recognize it, but Twilight did.

"Twilight Sparkle, beware!” shouts a Zebra rushing towards them. Once in front of the two, she stops in her hooves, catching her breath for a few seconds.

“Zecora? What’s wrong?” The Alicorn asks, an understandable look of concern worn on his purple ally's expression. So not only could Ponies talk here, but Zebra, too? It made him wonder just what other creatures in this world could have a full conversation. At this point, he assumed that almost all the animals here could talk, any of the animals who were part of the horse or pony family anyway. That much was clear.

"Twilight Sparkle, beware, the Everfree Forest has changed; once a place of quiet and peace, now roam beasts, that of which the eyes have never before seen." The Zebra says, giving her friend a somewhat cryptic warning in her usual riddle-like format about the current state of the forest.

"Beasts the eyes have never seen?" Twilight repeated, humming in thought, the gears turning inside her mind as she tried to guess what she meant, but Vergil knew immediately what she was talking about.

“Sorry to interject, but Zecora, that’s your name, right?" Vergil asks, hearing her name when Twilight spoke to her.

The Zebra blinked, probably because she didn't realize how different he was until she was right in front of them. "Oh, yes, that's me."

“I’m Vergil. I don’t mean to cut the pleasantries short, but I need to know. These creatures you saw, what did they look like?” He asks, waiting for her answer. Something told Vergil not to grab the Yamato upon finding it, at least not right away, so he needed to get all the information about these creatures he could get in their limited time.

"Before I explain, I must tell a short story, about what happened when I picked herbs for my potions. I saw a flash of evil, you see. These creatures looked horrid with a skull for a face, draped over in midnight, with malice in their gaze. At that moment, I heard the wailing; it teleports, flies, and is armed with a stick, a curved, angled blade at the top of it." The Zebra explained.

Twilight was usually good at decoding Zecora’s riddles, but this one, she honestly couldn't tell what her friend was talking about; glancing up at Vergil, the look on his face said he knew exactly what she was describing, but it didn't make sense. As far as Vergil knew, it had just been him and the Shadow Demon that came here, so why were there demons from his world here, too?

Twilight can be seen by the look in Vergil's eyes, which shows that he's thinking heavily about something. Curious, he decides to ask, as it seems like he knows what she is talking about. "Do you know what she's describing, Vergil?"

The half-devil nods. “Demons from my world, Hell Vanguards.” He replies. Vergil was going to get to the bottom of this. At first, he thought this might be something that the demon was doing, but the half-devil was confident that it was something else entirely. He had a feeling it had something to do with the Yamato, likely related to how he ended up here. Maybe his blade had been more damaged than he originally thought.

"Hell Vanguard?" Twilight repeated the name, the word sounding foreign as it rolled off her lips.

"Have you fought against them before?" She later added.

Vergil nodded, remembering facing these things in his earlier years when he was entirely different. After all those years, seeing this kind of demon again was a little strange. Why were Hell Vanguards back? it made little to no sense.

"I have, but it's been a long time since I've seen this type of demon again. It’s supposed to have been eradicated years ago, but apparently not.”

"Then we'd better go take care of them." Twilight quickly speaks up, taking a few quick steps forward before Vergil puts his hand up to stop her, causing her to glance at him, very slightly annoyed, but understood he meant well with his suggestion.

"These are demons, Twilight. I doubt you have such creatures in this world. And they are not to be taken lightly if one is completely unfamiliar with them. So I'll take care of it. Once we encounter them, staying back would probably be best for you." The half-devil quickly suggests, walking on ahead before she can answer. With a sigh, Twilight follows closely behind him, Zecora accompanying as well. Now a trio for the remainder of this excursion, the three proceed further into the forest.

After about ten minutes, the three spot a dark energy up ahead and quickly pick up the pace; upon their arrival at the scene, they spot a broken sword and what appears to be a black energy coming from it. It's in the form of pitch-black lightning, and every few minutes, a black bolt would strike a random part of the grass or forest, then open a portal prompting a Hell Vanguard to emerge from the dark mass of energy before that same smaller portal rift opened. The sight caused the two with Vergil to widen their eyes at the scene unfolding before them.

“So he did do something to my sword? I should have known that was part of his plan." Vergil muttered to himself under his breath, the open thought causing Twilight to furrow her eyebrows. It sounded like he knew something else, too. She wanted to inquire about it but decided against it for now, as the best thing to focus on at the moment, was getting rid of these demons. Just by looking, the Alicorn could count at least ten of them.

"There they are!" As the aura becomes an even brighter blue, he suddenly raises his right hand with an open palm, and seconds later, a glowing blue transparent two-handed sword appears in his grasp. He had used the Beowulf yesterday, so now it was time to change it up a bit.

The moment his mirage blade is in his hand, he kicks off his left hell into a full-on charge, showcasing his inhuman speed as he zipped towards the group of Hell Vanguards who swung their scythes down with their usual wailing. Vergil easily side-stepped the strikes, evading them and allowing him to quickly counter by driving his blade right into the face of one of the Hell Vanguards with a powerful stingr stab, creating a splattering of demon blood as the blade's tip pieces its skull through a glowing eye socket, the Vanguard shrieked at the pain as it was forced into a nearby tree, crashing right through it, killing one.

Four tried to teleport, reappearing at once to attempt to catch Vergil from all directions with a downward swing of their scythes. Still, he saw that coming and teleported himself, leaving a blur of midnight blue behind, causing their scythe blades to miss and hit the ground.

Their weapons got stuck in the grass for a moment. Still, the half-devil didn't waste the opportunity and reappeared above them, coming down hard with the blade down on top of them with a gallant grunt at the impact of his mirage blade slicing all four clean in half, making them erupt into a spew of blood. Twilight watched the display with a mix of fascination and horror at how much blood these demons seemed to bleed. So this was a sample of Vergil's power, and she was amazed; she hadn't seen anything like it before. Despite the bloodbath of demons unfolding in front of her eyes, the Alicorn was genuinely impressed, his powers were certainly a spectacle to witness, if one could look past all the blood and gore anyway.

Turning his attention to the remaining five, Vergil is about to go in for another attack. When the dark energy from the Yamato becomes more violent, it becomes apparent that it's about to summon another Hell Vanguard. Not wanting any more unwelcome demons to show up, he jumps, making a dive for the blade, but two of the Hell Vanguard see what he's doing and try to intercept his path.

Thinking fast, the quick sound of horseshoes trotting forward, Twilight Sparkle's horn glows a deep pink. With her Magic channeled up, she began to blast the two Vanguard, blocking Vergil's path with several purple energy beams, successfully pushing them back and damaging them simultaneously. The demons shrieked at the pain as the parts of them that were hit by Twilight's Magic began to melt, even killing two of them in the process. Vergil acknowledges her assistance with a quick nod as he reaches out, swiping up the two pieces of his sword. Taking a moment to observe the Hell Vanguard, the silver-haired devil hunter takes note on just how much Twilight's magic seemed to damage the demons, which was strange -- he couldn't recall ever witnessing the Vanguard react like this to an attack, it made him suspect that there was a lot more significance to that purple Alicorn's magic then it seemed.

Twilight's interference fully captured their attention as the Hell Vanguards began to turn their attention to the Purple Alicorn and the Zebra next to her. The attacking demons come at the two with a horizontal strike, but Twilight and Zecora can quickly step back to avoid it, leaving room for a counterattack. As the demons were a bit off balance as their strike missed, Twilight darted forward on her legs, jumping and turning her body, landing with her back to the demons. She kicked her back forelegs up, bucking one of the Hell Vanguards as hard as possible, and she succeeded.

The strike sends them back a few yards. Still, the Alicorn quickly follows up by twisting her neck back a bit to point her horn at them and unleash another magic blast, an even bigger one that shockingly killed them on contact, completely disintegrating them in the overwhelming power of her magical blast. Vergil was impressed but couldn't really praise her for it right now, as he was about to be very preoccupied.

Holding the broken sword in his hands, the dark aura of energy began to emit again. Since it was in his hands, he could tell right away that this wasn’t just some random demon spell; it had been one he'd never seen before, especially the way it would cause his hands to burn with every passing second, causing him to grit his teeth a bit, it felt like the pieces of the blade were on fire, the pain only intensifying the longer he held it.

"Twilight, we need to stabilize this energy as soon as possible!" He warns, unsure of how much longer he could hold on. It hurt a lot, but he wouldn't let go; no matter what, he wouldn't let any more demons escape into this world.

“O-Okay!” She quickly responds, speed-trotting to his side to help. Taking a quick look, it's apparent that it's a type of Magic she's never seen before. But there was good news, parts of the aura of that energy did feel somewhat familiar to her.

"I've never seen any kind of Magic like this before. But I do notice one vague similarity." A pause, quickly remembering something in a book she had read a few days ago about otherworldly Magic.

"I read this book a few days ago. While this Magic is entirely new to me, there are always one or two similarities in spells, regardless of what world they come from. I can only see one for this particular spell. This is a type of portal magic, but a rare kind. It's a one-way with no way back. In short, it's like a faucet that can't be turned off. It's going to keep summing more and more of those things. But I think I have an idea." She explains, showing off her vast knowledge of Magic and spells. Twilight was very intelligent for an exquisite being like her.

“Do you think it will work?” He asks. Usually, Vergil was the type of person who liked to know every piece of information possible before doing something. He took great pride in always being one step ahead of his enemies. But even Vergil had moments where he couldn't find anything, so Twilight's incredible knowledge of everything about Magic was a huge asset. On paper, it wouldn't look like much, but showcasing her high intellect was enough to show him that she was made a Princess for a reason.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it's our only option. So we'll just have to take a chance." Twilight points with her right forehoof to the grass, lightly gesturing for him to put his sword down in the grass. Carefully, Vergil does as instructed. The second he puts it on the grass, the energy is about to act up again, but Twilight encases the two Yamato pieces inside a purple magic barrier just before the black mass of energy could flare up again.

Right away, the Alicorn could feel just how different this Magic was. As it tried to fight through her barrier, it was almost like this energy had a mind of its own. Twilight began to groan as she struggled to keep it inside, but ultimately, she managed to keep it in there.

“Urrghhh! V-Vergil, the rest is up to you, but hurry! I don’t know how long I can hold this in..here!” She warns, groaning afterward. With a nod, Vergil decides to do only what he thinks might work. It was a long shot, but it was now or never. While Twilight held it inside the barrier, Vergil placed his hands over the sword; closing his eyes, he started sending some of his demonic energy inside the blade. It was challenging but with the combination of their teamwork and quick thinking. The two's efforts prove to be successful.

Twilight's magic barrier kept it from summoning any more demons, significantly slowing the spell's magical power. Because the Yamato still had a link to his soul, the moment Vergil's demonic energy touched it, the sword glowed and put itself back together right before their eyes.

His sword was fixed, but he could tell there was something wrong with it right away. His sword had been broken and surrounded with dark magical energy all night, which was the best he could describe. This energy had an unmistakable demonic feel to it, but at the same time, this foreign aura also came with it. Just to be safe, he wasn't going to equip the Yamato, at least not until he took a closer look at it to ensure it was safe to use. Vergil didn't know much about the demon he was dealing with. Still, it was always better to be safer than sorry, especially in another world with a whole kingdom. Civilization or pony Inhabitants would be, unfortunately, caught in the crossfire.

"We did it! YES, my calculations were correct!" Twilight rejoiced. Purple's eyes lit up brightly, and her ears twitched happily as she suddenly lost herself in an overexcited tangent.

"Judging by the velocity and thickness of the magical mass surrounding the sword, I suspected that ordinary tactics wouldn't work, so I calculated the length and duration of a barrier spell and found out how much magical energy it gave off the longer it was cast. I had to roughly estimate the speed and rate at which the energy traveled to pick which barrier would be more effective enough to create a magic overload!" This understandably had Vergil taken aback a bit, as he wasn't expecting such an excited reaction from her – needless to say, it was both oddly cute and amusing to him.

She seemed to have realized it, too, as seconds later, she giggled bashfully.

"Oops, sorry about that. I… got a little carried away there." She quickly looks away, hiding her embarrassment.

Silence for a moment, but it earned her a short chuckle from the half-devil. He just shook his head; he didn't mind it. It was random and sudden, but he didn't judge her for it. "Well, your calculations were perfect. A-plus, easily.”

Twilight was expecting him to poke fun at her about being an egghead like everyone else did. Of course, it was good fun when it did happen, but perhaps she was just so used to that type of reaction that she assumed it would have been the same result with him. Instead, she was surprised to be praised for it; he didn't even throw in a joke at the last minute, either. Twilight then remembered that Vergil kept a book with him at all times, which was something she could see herself doing too, although in her case, Twilight would bring multiple.

“You really think so?” The Alicorn asks, a slight proud grin forming on her lips.

"Knowledge can most certainly be a crucial tool in many situations. What you did was a prime example of that." Vergil replied. If she could do this much with Magic that she knew nothing about, it was safe to assume that Twilight Sparkle was a genius for Magic. Not just anyone would have been able to counter such a spell, especially since it was a type of Magic that initially came from something other than this world. Others would have more trouble in dealing with that. Twilight had just shown she could be resourceful when the moment called for it.

“I couldn’t agree with you more! Knowledge is a huge thing to have. I have read many books, and I'm grateful for all I know. I wasn't too sure if it would work. But I'm happy it did." Twilight cheerfully replied.

“Anyway, we should probably head back. The Summer Sun Celebration is in a few days, and there's much to prepare.” The Alicorn turned to her Zebra friend. “Thank you for the warning earlier; it was a big help." Twilight smiled.

“It was my pleasure, Twilight. Take care.” She gave the Alicorn a friendly smile before walking back towards the forest. As the Zebra passed Vergil by, the two met eyes. “Zecora, right? Thanks for your help.”

The Zebra stopped to look back at the humanoid visitor. There was indeed a strange energy that seemed to radiate from him, but she was able to tell that he was on their side and meant no harm, just from instinct alone. A foreign presence here, but a welcome guest all the same. As odd as his being here was, Zecora felt that fate had a lot planned for him; no one would just end up in another world for nothing; she looked forward to seeing how much his being here would affect things. She nodded. “Of course, new friend. Perhaps you and I will meet again. Until then, Take care." Giving them two one last smile, Zecora disappears behind the forest trail further in, likely returning home now that the demons were dealt with and the area surrounding her home was once again peaceful

As Twilight leads the way down the path leading back to Ponyville, Vergil follows behind her. It's only there that he catches her saying something about the Sun. “So Twilight, what exactly is the Summer Sun Celebration? Is it some sort of tradition around here?”

It was probably a dumb question, but everything about this realm was brand new to him, so he didn't know what to expect since he first arrived the other day. Thinking that he would be in this world for a long time, Vergil made a mental note to try and find out as much as he could about this world. The sooner he would be able to familiarize himself here, the better he would be able to prepare. That demon was plotting something big; the half-devil didn't know the details; it was just a gut feeling that stuck with him the more he thought about it.

“That’s right. In Ponyville, we follow a lot of different seasonal traditions. The Summer Sun Celebration is one of the most important ones. It happens every year on the longest day in Summer.” Twilight briefly explained. She knew he would ask, and there was much he still didn't know about this world, so Twilight would happily answer any questions he may have.

"Oh, I see. What is the celebration commemorating? It must be serious if it's one of the more important traditions." He asks as the two walk up a hill, spotting the exit of the Everfree Forest just up ahead.

“The Summer Sun Celebration used to be about the day Princess Celestia banished her sister Princess Luna when she was some pony named Nightmare Moon – something she had been known as for a long time." A short pause before she continued. "About a couple years ago, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia made up. So this year we'll be celebrating not only the Sun, but the reunion of Princess Celestia and her sister, too. Princess Luna lowers the moon, and Princess Celestia raises the Sun right after. I'm pretty excited because this year, I finally get to play a bigger role in it!" She finishes explaining, her tone cheerful as the two fully exit the forest. The passion for her role was evident in her voice; if she had just recently become a Princess, then he could understand her excitement.

Now, walking down the path alongside Twilight, the two continue their conversation as they pass through Ponyville. While they walked, Vergil noticed that several of the ponies were staring at him, and for some reason, they would immediately look away from him the exact moment his eyes looked at them. It's a little irritating, but something Vergil expected. They must not know that an outsider was talking with their Princess a lot. It was a slight annoyance, but he just ignored it, focusing instead on the conversation he and Twilight were having.

"Well, it sounds like Ponyville has quite the historical past," Vergil commented, keeping his eyes on Twilight, not caring about the several ponies in town giving him looks. There was a collection of looks he was getting. Some would side-eye him as they passed by, while others would give him a dirty look or a straight-up glare at him. Some looked away after, while the odd few would keep their eyes fixed on him, not caring if he saw how they were looking at him. Vergil wasn't too surprised by their reactions; perhaps he was too different. Vergil quickly stood out for the apparent reason of being the only humanoid there, so he felt it would be like this for quite a while; he would just have to get used to it.

"It has an incredible history. I've read so many books about Equestria's past history. I thought I knew everything about it, but now that I have access to the forbidden library, I can finally expand my knowledge of its history, and I can't wait to read those two books back at home."

Twilight happily replies, expressing her excitement for more reading material – a feeling Vergil could relate to since he was also quite the prominent bookworm himself. As they walked down the town path, Twilight listened to him as he spoke, trotting alongside him; the Alicorn Princess noticed how every pony else would look at him. Whenever she would look at other ponies, she would get a smile or a wave, sometimes both. It was clear that he and Twilight were friends, so she didn't understand why every pony looked at him like that. Were they just that intimidated by his presence?

Soon after, the two return to the castle of friendship; they enter through the doors, his eyes recognizing the now familiar interior of her fantastic home. Their footsteps (or hoof steps in Twilight's case) echo throughout the halls as they walk down the hall, the shine of the crystal floor sparkling like always, displaying just how well cared for her home was. This castle was pretty huge, so he could only imagine how much work it was to maintain; it was admirable.

Hearing the echo of the doors closing, down the stairs came Spike, greeting the two with a wave. “Hey guys, welcome back. Did you manage to get your sword back?” The purple dragon asks, grabbing a sapphire gem and throwing it into his mouth with a loud crunch.

"Yes, we did. There was some sort of spell cast on my blade. Luckily, thanks to Twilight's help, we both managed to somehow dispel it." Vergil briefly explained.

"His sword even put itself back together, so hopefully, it's working again," Twilight added.

“Sweet! I had a feeling you two would be able to do it. So does that mean you can use it again?” The little dragon asked,

“Considering it was cursed overnight, I won't use it until I thoroughly review it. I want to ensure there's nothing else wrong with it, before I fully determine whether or not I can use it right away." The half-devil answered. While he remained stuck here, Vergil didn't want to take risks. Vergil couldn't shake off the feeling deep down in his gut that coming here was deliberate rather than chalking it off as a random unfortunate occurrence.

"Better to be safe than sorry, huh? That's a pretty good idea, actually." The dragon replies.

Vergil nodded in agreement. “Precisely. I prefer being one step ahead rather than a few steps behind. Especially in this case."

"Same here," Twilight replied, intrigued to find yet another commonality they shared. "I like to be well prepared and completely organized. I have three checklists I follow every day, including one extra list that also keeps track of my other lists.” The Alicorn Princess added a nervous giggle at the end of her sentence.

"It's true. And I can vouch for that. Every day, I review her lists to ensure she has planned everything accordingly. She's probably the only pony I know with a list that goes over other lists.” Spike confirmed, a hand rubbing the back of his head.

“Eheheh … and I always appreciate your assistance, Spike." Twilight says, with a sheepish grin and a light blush on her face. She turns her head away to hide it.

"Well, what can I say? I am the number one assistant, after all." Spike replies, a proud grin on his face after his sentence.

Twilight just giggled, very much used to the antics of her close friend who had come to Ponyville with her about four years ago now. "Yes, that you are Spike." She smiles, touching her longtime friend, who doesn't hesitate to hug her back before they lightly pull back.

Checking the time on the clock high above them on one of the walls, Twilight saw that the clock read that it was about twelve-thirty in the afternoon now, the second she looked at the time and realized that it was almost time for the picnic with the girls. Looking back at Vergil, she took a few steps towards him to meet her gaze.

"Hey, Vergil, Spike, and I have to go meet the girls for a picnic. You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like." She politely offered, hoping he would say yes. Her friends just had to meet him, but she wouldn't force him to come along if he didn't want to.

"I appreciate the offer, Twilight, but I'm sure you've seen how every pony in town looked at me. No offense to you or your friends, but if the town isn't exactly a fan of my presence, I'm certain these friends of yours will think the same." Vergil wasn't necessarily bothered by their looks; it was just a bit of a headache whenever he saw them. Those were precisely the same looks that people back in his world gave him. The few humans who knew about his time as Urizen always gave him that same look, if not precisely the same. It was almost always a similar look, which gave off the same feeling of isolation he was used to.

Twilight was a bit sad upon hearing him decline. Of course, it was going to take the residents of Ponyville quite a bit of time to get used to seeing Vergil in town, but Twilight knew that her dear friends would be a lot more accepting of him. So far, he was friends with Spike and her, but no one else. The Alicorn knew her friends wouldn't judge him; they would undoubtedly be fascinated by him, but they would never make him feel like an outcast. Friendship was Magic after all, and the Princess of Friendship would just have to show him that.

“Vergil.. I know the other ponies in town give you looks, and I’m sorry you have to deal with that. But I promise you that my friends won’t look at you like that. In fact, I’m sure they would like you. So what do you think?” She asked, her tone a bit softer.

"…How do you know they won't think otherwise?" Vergil asked in return. He was close to accepting, but she could still see the reluctance in his blue eyes.

"You won't know for sure unless you try, Right? Just give them a chance. That's all I ask." Twilight persists and after much thought. The half-devil gives a sigh before he slowly nods in response.

"…Very well. I suppose I'll come along…" He agrees it had taken a bit of convincing, but she was glad he agreed. She thought he would have declined again, and if he did, that was when she would have finally given up and just left him be, so when she got him to tag along, she was pretty satisfied with his change of mind.

"Wonderful! I'm glad you reconsidered." Twilight says, flashing Vergil a friendly smile before she turns to look at the little dragon. "Oh, Spike. Did you already pack the picnic basket?" She asked.

“Yep! I got it all prepared while you guys were in the Everfree Forest. So that’s already taken care of.” Spike happily replied, pointing towards the picnic basket that sat on the kitchen counter. He was very proud of his efficiency in preparing everything.

“Perfect! Thank you, Spike.” Twilight replies appreciatively, turning back to look up at Vergil. "I'm just going to grab a book quickly, and then we'll go. Be right back in a moment!" The Purple Alicorn trotted her way upstairs and into her bedroom, her horn glowing deep pink to grab volume three of the Book Of Equestrian Ancient Legends with her Magic, stuffing it inside one a book bag she was planning on bringing, the picnic would be a few hours or so, she figured since she would be relaxing with every pony, that she would be able to read the book, and possibly find out more about the ancient urban legend of humanoids, that supposedly used to roam Equestria. The more information she could soak up, the better she could understand how they came to be and where the rest of these humans were now.

“Twilight’s right, you know. The others will be a lot more welcoming. The other ponies in town might take a while, but the girls are much different." Spike added, hoping Vergil would have at least a bit more optimism about this picnic. Vergil says nothing; instead, he just nods. He would have to see for himself what would really happen. Regardless, the half-devil wasn't expecting much to come from meeting Twilight's friends.

Moments later, Twilight comes trotting down the stairs with a bookbag and saddle bag full of reading material. Immediately, Vergil begins to count how many books she has with her; it seems like she has packed a whole bunch. "Are we all ready to go?" she asks with a smile, looking at Spike rather than Vergil.

"You bet!" Spike enthusiastically replies as he heads out the door to wait. Vergil looked and turned sight as she glanced at him, waiting to hear if he was ready. "Alright, let's go then." Vergil adds Her horn begins to glow deep pink and she levitates the picnic basket alongside them as they exit the castle of friendship.

The Alicorn Princess immediately began to lead Spike and her new friend Vergil towards their signature spot where she and the girls usually had their picnics – up on this grassy hilltop that gave off a nice view of Ponyville below. The closer they get, the moment the hilltop is in sight. Vergil spots a collection of five colorful ponies, each exotic and beautiful in their own way.

As the girls watched Twilight and Spike make their way over, the others quickly spotted the new face behind Twilight, a tall, silver-haired man with striking, deep blue eyes. Vergil was wearing his usual outfit. Black combat slacks, black belted boots, with his two-tone blue sleeveless under the vest, complete with his midnight dark blue long coat that had a split at the end. There were peculiar tree branch-like designs on opposite sides of his jacket and white lining.

As they get to the picnic blanket, Spike moves to take a seat. As the girls stared at Vergil in amazement at his presence, Twilight wasted quickly introduced him to every pony here.

"Hello every pony! I'd like you all to meet a new friend of mine. Girls, this is Vergil. He's a visitor from another world. It sounds pretty crazy, I know, but it's true." She introduced them to him one by one, starting from the left.

“This is Applejack. She works with her family at Sweet Apple Acores. Her family has the best apples in Equestria." After her introduction, Applejack gave the new friend a smile. "Well, Howdy there, Vergil. It’s nice t’meetcha.” The half-devil gave her a polite wave, and then Twilight moved on to the next friend in line.

"This fierce-looking pony with the colorful mane is Rainbow Dash; she's the fastest flyer in all of Equestria and is the leader of the Cloudsdale Pegasus weather team for Ponyville." The colorful maned mare flashes him a confident, toothy grin. “Hey there, Vergil. A pleasure to grace you with my awesomeness!” She energetically greets them, even holding out a forehoof for him to shake his hand, which he does shortly after; his hand and hoof shake solid and firm, giving her a nod of acknowledgment as he lets Twilight continue moving down her line of friends.

“This super energetic pony over here is Pinkie Pie. She works at the bakery called Sugarcube Corner; she's the resident party planner here in Ponyville." Pinkie Pie, bouncing up and down on her hooves, eagerly waited for Twilight to finish her introduction so she could chime in, and she did just that. Practically, speed bouncing towards the new friend.

“Oooooooooo, you're different, but in a COOL way! WOW, just look at you! I've never seen a human before. Except for this one time at night, I was coming back home after leaving Twilight's place, and I saw this REALLY tall shadow standing on two legs like this." Pinkie suddenly stood up on her forelegs, seemingly doing it effortlessly as she continued to say multiple things quickly.

"And then I looked at it and was like, WHOA! So I grabbed a flashlight, snuck up behind them, and yelled HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, BUSTER! Only to realize it was just a cardboard cutout. But I SWEAR it looked like a person!" She exaggerated her body language, jumping on loud words, and hyperactively jumped forward, physically acting out all her movements in this insanely long story.

At the end of her long sentence, she fell on her back with a light but soft thud but very quickly rose onto all fours with ease, her poufy curly mane and tail moving, jolting up. Without warning, Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped up, wrapping her hooves around his shoulders, and put her head against his, throwing him into a random but colossal hug. He clearly wasn't expecting that, but he awkwardly returned the hug. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Vergil!" She enthusiastically says, her happy-go-lucky voice sounding especially cheery. He felt her squish him tightly in her grasp.
"Yes...like....wise." He's able to mutter before she finally let go, which for a few seconds felt like a vice grip on his shoulders; this little pink pony was surprisingly strong for her size. The second her hooves touch the grass, she's bouncing happily back to her spot on the picnic blanket.

“And this very stylish mare right here is Rarity. She runs the local fashion store, The Carousal Boutique. If a big event is coming up and you need to look your best, Rarity is the one to go to." Twilight explained.

The beautiful purple-haired fashion pony gave him an elegant wave of her forehoof; she gave the half-devil a smile. "Why hello there, handsome~ charmed to meet you." The moment she got a closer look at him, she immediately began to imagine what kinds of jackets she could make for him. She had never seen a human before; no pony had ever made an outfit for a being quite like this. She noted many things about his body structure and how she'd have to alter and adjust. Still, she enjoyed the challenge, especially when it came to expanding her fashion sense.

There was only one person left to introduce, and she always opted to save her for last whenever there was a new friend since she knew how shy her friend was when it came to know people in town, especially since this person was a new being entirely. “And last but certainly not the least, this is my friend Fluttershy. She lives at the cottage near a small set of trees. She takes care of all the animals here, big and small. Fluttershy is the girl to go to if there's ever a problem with a pet or an animal.

Timidly, she takes a few slow steps forward. She doesn't look at him for about a minute or two before slowly looking up at him, the shyness evident in her expression. Though her eyes were rather adorable, the distinctness of her eyelashes was beautiful. This was an exciting world, to say the least.

"Hi… it's… nice to meet you." She gave him a timid smile before thoroughly looking away, and she gave him a cute little nervous squeal as she turned her head and walked back to her spot. Finally, with the introductions finished, Twilight turned to look back and forth between her friends and Vergil.

"Now that introductions are out of the way feel free to start eating, girls." Twilight adds, finally taking a seat on the blanket. Surprisingly, she sat next to Vergil, though he didn't seem to pay any mind.

"YES! This is the moment I've been WAITING for!" Pinkie Pie cheerfully replies. Immediately, seemingly out of the blue, she pulls out a cupcake and takes a bite.

Mmmmmmm! I love cupcakes!” She randomly pulled out another.

Twilight opened the basket and began to pass every pony a plate with some sandwiches and snacks, evenly dispersing them all out between her friends. Spike seemed to make extra. He probably knew that Twilight would invite Vergil along. She smiled and turned to her dragon friend, who was sitting next to Rarity.

“Spike, did you pack extra?” She asked with a smile.

“Mmhm.” He mumbles with a gemstone in his mouth, finally talking more after his mouth is empty. "I had a feeling you were going to invite him to come along; that's just the type of person you are, Twilight," Spike added, tossing an emerald into his mouth.

"Well, I am the Princess of Friendship after all," she joked. She took this role seriously, but she never wanted her friends to address her as such since it just felt weird to imagine her addressing them so formally.

The girls were fascinated with Vergil, to say the least. After the introductions, most of the picnic was spent asking him questions, some about his world compared to this one and others about himself in general. They were just trying to get to know him as best they could, showing genuine interest in his answers.

“So Vergil, tell me, dear. Just how different is your world from ours? I find it absolutely fascinating about how you've come here from another world entirely." Rarity asks, her horn glowing blue as she levitates her teacup to her lips to take a sip. After she asks his question, all the girls lean forward a bit, fully invested in what his response will be.

"There are many things different about my world compared to here. While there are some brief similarities, there are many differences. The most obvious one is that humans are a civilization back in my world, while it's Ponies here." Vergil explained, and the girls listened intently, even throwing in more questions.

“How are the seasons in your world, Vergil? Are they the same, or are they different?" Asks Twilight Sparkle, still parked next to him on the picnic blanket.

Vergil turned his head to look at her, blue eyes meeting her purple hues as he answered her question, which was a pretty easy one to answer. From what it sounded like, the ponies here were the ones who changed the seasons, physically changing seasons as if there was a whole weather team in the clouds. This. This was quite the curious world he had ended up in.

“We have the exact same seasons. Spring, Summer, Fall, or Autumn, depending on whatever one calls it, and Winter. The major difference is that we have a whole weather system back in my world, so our weather changes independently. While here, it sounds like you all change the seasons manually here." Vergil explained, adding the last sentence based on what he learned when Twilight introduced Rainbow Dash earlier.

“Whoa! So you guys don’t need to do anything? The weather really changes by itself?” Rainbow Dash asked, seeming interested in what she had found out.

“That’s correct. We probably have the same months as you. Do you all have twelve months in a year as well?" He asks, only now realizing he was starting to get lost in the conversation with these ponies. From a social standpoint, humans and ponies were one and the same. Maybe they weren't too different after all.

"Yes, we do. Just like your world, we also have twelve months in a year. Fascinating, simply fascinating! I never would have thought our worlds would have this much in common." Twilight mused. She was clearly having fun learning about all of this, and then again, even Vergil started to enjoy this.

“U-Uhm… are there lots of animals in your world t-too?” Fluttershy nervously asked, very slowly starting to get used to Vergil’s presence amongst all of them. He was surprised to get a question from the quiet one, but he didn’t mind. Vergil also liked animals too.

"We do. There are many different animals in my world, although most of the creatures are the same as the ones here. However, I do tend to see a lot of stray cats around... “ A short pause as he recalls a story.

"I remember one cold rainy night in the city. I came across a litter of cats, about five, not counting the mother. So I did the only thing I could think of, I wrapped them in my jacket and brought them home. I cared for them for a while before letting them go again. I would have kept some, but I was constantly on the move at the time, so I couldn't keep any. However, I did manage to find a proper home for them. Probably one of my earliest experiences with stray animals.” Vergil explained, recalling it in great detail.

Fluttershy was in awe. The fact that he also cared for animals so much made it much easier to talk to him. She found herself comfortable now that she had spoken to him quite a bit.

“Oh my, that was so incredibly sweet of you, Vergil. I love animals so much, especially cute little itty-bitty kitties.” Fluttershy smiles; she didn't expect this from Vergil.

The picnic continued for another two hours, and Spike eventually fell asleep, which prompted everyone to wrap it up for the day. After talking with Vergil for the whole picnic, Twilight and her friends would get to know their outworldly visitors a decent amount. They considered him a friend now, something he did not expect to happen upon arriving here. Vergil helped the girls clean and pack up; any leftovers were completely devoured by Pinkie Pie. With the picnic finally concluding, the girls began to leave individually.

“Well, it was nice meetin’ ya, partner. Have yourself a good night." She tipped her hat to him, and he gave her a nod.

“It was nice meeting you as well. Goodnight.”

Applejack gave him a nod right back, then moved over to provide Twilight with a hug. "G’dnight Twilight, see ya tomorrow."

Twilight hugged her back. “Goodnight Applejack.” She says, lightly pulling back so her friend can go back home.

"It was lovely meeting you, dear. Stop by the Carousal Boutique sometime. I'll make you look especially dazzling!" Says Rarity, who seemed very excited to create something for him, an offer he would definitely take her up on one of these days.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I just may take you up on that, thank you. Goodnight, Rarity." Vergil replies. Rarity flashes him a charming smile before walking over to Twilight.

“Thank you so much for the picnic, darling.” Rarity says as he puts a forehoof around her friend to hug her. "Goodnight, Twilight."

“Of course, I love our group picnics, so I don't mind putting it together; goodnight, Rarity." Twilight happily replies.

Pinkie Pie quickly pounced at Vergil, pulling him into a hug again, this time he was actually prepared and managed to catch her, which earned him a cute giggle from Pinkie as she squeezed him tightly with her forehoofs – which was a typical hug from Pinkie Pie. "It was SUPER fun to meet you, Vergil, goodnight!"

"Same to you, Pinkie. Goodnight." Suddenly, she sprung out of his grasp like a freshly popped bedspring, landing right in front of Twilight, who would be hugged by the happy-go-lucky pony, to which Twilight returned, trying to keep what little breath she had during Pinkie's rather powerful hug.

"…Goodnight, Pinkie." Despite the stranglehold of a hug her friend gave her, she managed to get out before she finally pulled away, turning to cheerfully bounce down the path leading back to Sugarcube Corner.

“It was nice to meet you, Vergil. Maybe. Maybe I'll see you around sometime tomorrow, later!" Says Rainbow Dash, holding her hoof out for a bump. Vergil complies, putting his fist to her hoove. “Awesome!” Quickly turning around, he moves over to Twilight. As always, thanks for preparing the picnic. Goodnight, Twilight!"

“It was my pleasure, goodnight Rainbow Dash.”

With a wave of her hoof, the cyan Pegasus stretched her wings and took off into the air, leaving behind a rainbow trail as she zipped up and around some clouds before he saw the rainbow heading towards a big house in the sky.

Fluttershy walked up to Vergil and talked to him first, a testament to how much this picnic had helped him make friends, especially if she was the first to speak to him this time. This picnic may not have been such a bad idea.

"It was nice meeting you today, Vergil; I hope you enjoy your stay here in Ponyville.. uhm.. goodnight." She flashed him a shy smile before moving over to Twilight and giving her a hug, which Alicorn returned immediately.

“Thanks for always putting together the picnic for us Twilight, goodnight.” She smiled sweetly.

"Anytime at all, goodnight, Fluttershy.” She smiled in return, and Fluttershy slowly rose up into the air, but enough to where she was just above the ground as she slowly flew her way back home to her cottage.

Now that it was just two of them (Since Spike had fallen asleep), Twilight turned to Vergil. Because he was still new here, and no one seemed to like him for whatever reason, the Alicorn turned to face him, prompting him to look at her. In return, their eyes met.

"Since you don't have anywhere to go, you can stay with me at my castle," Twilight politely offered.

"You've already done more than enough for me, though."

She just shook her head, flashing him a small smile. “It’s okay, I don’t mind at all.”

Ironically, Vergil had just finished thinking about where he was going to sleep. He had opted for a campfire, but Twilight went ahead and offered him this; She had already done a lot for him, yet here she was, extending her home to him. Although it appeared that he was a bit reluctant, he was also quite grateful.

"…Thank you, Twilight, I appreciate it." Vergil folds, giving her a tiny smile. “Always happy to help, Vergil. Alright then, let's go home." Using her Magic, her horn glows deep pink, and she carefully places the sleeping Spike on her back as they return to the castle of friendship. At the top of the nearby mountain, a shadow figure with glowing crimson eyes with an equally red glow in his mouth as he outstretched his grin, showing off his dagger-like teeth. He just stared at them, his energy hidden so neither Vergil nor the Alicorn could sense him; he wanted to remain in the shadows and reveal himself only when the time was right.

"Enjoy your peaceful evening, Vergil… because tomorrow, we'll see how much you care about this town and the ponies that hate you." With a maniacal laugh, he turns and walks away, passing a group of little rabbits, with an evil smirk, the demon disappears in a swirl of shadow energy, pulling the animals in with him. "Come little creatures, time for a little.. upgrade." Once he's gone, there laid a lone dead plant on the mountainside left from where he had previously been standing.

----End Of Chapter----

Author's Note

Hello readers!
Chapter 2 is here and things are very slowly starting to build.
I love me a good mix of slice of life, action and violence.
I try to balance it out here and there, because I like to build things up (Plot, relationships, esc.) but also like to try and keep it interesting, keep some suspense, you know?
There may be also be a few slice of life chill chapters in the future, but also more action as well
Another note, I had originally intended for the picnic scene to be longer, I only skipped near the end since it was like 5 am and I had been editing since midnight at that time so I was Drained lol
So sorry about that, the next slice of life scene when it happens,
will be extended a bit more to make up for this one.
Thanks for checking this story out.
Until the next chapter, take care, and Happy reading!
~Darkslayer