//------------------------------// // Part 1 - Chapter 19: Shoot To Thrill // Story: Pony May Cry: Brotherhood is Magic // by Joey JoJo //------------------------------// With Twilight leading the group, Dante and the girls were making exceptional progress through the Everfree, keeping at a trots pace as they drew closer to the ruins of Old Canterlot Castle. “You really think we’ll be able to catch up with Vergil at this rate?” Rainbow Dash asked after a few minutes of silence, moving closer to Twilight’s side. “I mean I could just fly ahead an-“ “That doesn’t sound like too bright an idea, Rainbow.” Twilight interrupted. “But-“ “Listen, I don’t doubt that you could probably find him on your own, but given the circumstances and the fact that we still don’t know what it is he’s planning, I really think it’d be best if we all stuck together. Understood?” “Yeah, I got it.” Rainbow Dash muttered with a discouraged expression. “Girls! Come an’ get a look at this!” AppleJack cried out from behind the group. Turning back, the girls rushed to AppleJack’s side, noticing that she was observing what looked to be a pile of rubble in the moonlit clearing. “What’s the matter, AppleJack?” Fluttershy asked as the group trotted up to the farm pony only to let out a sharp gasp after finally catching sight of just what it was she found. “Are those Timberwolves!?” “I reckon they’re what used to be Timberwolves.” AppleJack answered back. The girls were in both shock and awe as they looked around the clearing to see the shattered remains of Timberwolves scattered all around them. “What in Equestria could have done this?” Twilight asked. “Not what,” Dante said as he joined the girls in the clearing, inspecting the lifeless husks of the dead wolves. “But who. And I think we all know the guy responsible for this.” He said as he kicked one of the wolves’ heads, causing it to roll off into the bushes. “My brother really does know how to leave his mark.” “Y-Y-You’re saying Vergil did this?” Spike asked, his voice once again quivering with fear. “Unless you’ve got something else around here that can make woodchips outta these pups then yeah.” “Hard to imagine somepony like him could be so barbaric.” Rarity commented as she hastily moved around the wooden corpses. “Ah wouldn’t put it past him,” AppleJack retorted. “After what he and Dante did to the Orchard awhile back, anything seems possible with those two.” “Hey, we kept the damage to a minimum,” Dante cried defensively. “After all, you only lost two trees that day.” he quipped, flashing AppleJack a smirk. In response, his witty remark was met with nothing more than a frown and a huff from the disgruntled farm pony. Disregarding Dante's tactless sense of humor, AppleJack returned to her inspection, eventually coming across an interesting discovery. Around the clearing she had found a few hoof prints. “Well I’ll be. Guess it really was Vergil after all. Come here, Twilight.” AppleJack instructed the purple unicorn to join her. “Get a gander at these.” “Yes, AppleJack, I can see that they obviously belong to Vergil.” The unicorn mare stated flatly. “But they’re also fresh,” AppleJack added. “And judging by the impressions, he was here probably less than an hour ago.” “Which means my theory was correct!” Twilight shouted in joyous realization. “If what you said is true about the hoof prints, then more than likely Vergil did have some considerable trouble navigating the forest, meaning-“ “Meaning we’re not too far behind him.” Dante finished. “Exactly!” “Hey! Twilight! Lookey here!” Pinkie cried out, grabbing everypony’s attention. “There’s even more through here.” She said as she pointed her hoof down a wooded pathway that had also been littered with Timberwolf remains. “Good eye, Pinkie! Looks like that creep went this way.” Rainbow Dash said as she approached the pathway. “C’mon guys! Time’s a wastin’!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie soon took the lead as the girls followed closely behind through the path. Waiting for the girls to go on ahead, Twilight and Spike fell back to join Dante who was holding up the rear. There was something about this whole situation that wasn’t adding up for Twilight, namely Vergil’s reasoning. Maybe Dante could at least give some insight, she pondered. She waited till both she and Dante were out of earshot of the rest of the group before speaking up. “Soooo, Dante.” Twilight began. “What’s up?” “Pardon me if I sound like a broken record, but why would Vergil do something like this?” Twilight asked, hoping Dante would give a satisfactory answer this time. “He’s a power hungry jackass. Not much else there is to know about him or why he does what he does.” He answered with an impatient tone. “Yes, but for somepony as smart as him and who has done extensive research on the Gates of Tartarus, I’m sure he would have realized by now that there’s no way for him to even open those forbidden doors. Just what does he plan to do when- I mean if he gets there? That gateway is sealed behind a barrier made with some of the strongest magic in Equestria. There’s no way even a pony of your strength could open it.” “That’s the problem, though.” Dante answered, turning towards both Twilight and Spike. “He’s more than capable of opening those gates whether you believe it or not.” “But how is that even possible?” “Simple.” Dante replied. “You’ve seen that sword Vergil totes around with him everywhere he goes right?” “Yeah, he always has it by his side.” Spike chimed in, answering Dante’s question. “Well,” Dante began as he locked eyes with Twilight, a stoic expression now washing over his face. “That sword of his is a special blade. It can cut through anything. And I mean anything.” Dante expressed on his last word. “Rocks, metal, magic, you name it. That thing can even cut through entire dimensions." Dante’s words hit Twilight like a brick as a sudden realization swept over her. “A sword that can cut through anything?” she mumbled. Vergil’s retelling of Sparda soon came back to her as those familiar words settled in. “It was a blade so sharp that it could cut through anything; even through dimensions and barriers, as it was forged in the fires of Hell itself.” Dante then caught her attention once more as he spoke, interrupting her wandering thoughts. “I don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous something like that can be. That should be more than enough of a reason to stop him.” He then sped up his pace as he trotted on ahead of Twilight, closing the distance between him and the rest of the girls. Before Twilight could call out to Dante Spike spoke up with his own interjection. “Doesn’t that sword sound a lot like Yama- Yamta-“ “Yamato?” Twilight corrected the young drake politely. “And yes it sounds just like it.” Looking on ahead at Dante who was now sharing an inaudible conversion with Pinkie Pie, Twilight couldn’t help but feel uneasy as a creeping yet familiar suspicion began to sink in. “Spike, you don’t think that Dante and Vergil could be the Sons of Sparda could you? There are just too many correlations between both the legend and Dante’s relation with Vergil.” “I see what you’re getting at, Twilight, but if that legend is true, shouldn’t one of them be dead?” “I do remember Vergil specifically saying that it was the elder brother who perished, but if that’s the case… Then what is Yamato doing here?” “What do you mean, Twilight?” Spike asked, scratching the scales on his head. “I mean that Yamato should be in Hell with the elder brother, where he died. Yet for some reason, that same blade is here in Equestria.” “You don’t think either of them could be zombie ponies could you!?” Spike asked worriedly as he held on tight to Twilight’s back. “No, Spike.” Twilight answered, trying to ease her assistant’s overactive imagination. “But I’m beginning to suspect that there’s more to this legend than Vergil let on,” Her gaze narrowed in on Dante. “And perhaps he and Dante might not be entirely what they seem.” “You think we should up and ask Dante about Sparda?” Spike inquired innocently. “Not now. We haven’t the time for that kind of questioning,” Twilight answered, picking up her pace and lowering her voice. “Not until we’ve retrieved Vergil and returned home. Once this is all over, the girls and I will be able to get to the bottom of this mess.” “Gotcha,” Spike acknowledged as he made a zipping motion with his claw across his mouth. The group was nearing the end of the pathway, the light at the far end of the woods proving to be a clear indication that they were approaching the ruins of Old Canterlot Castle. “Jeez, I really shoulda brought a snack or something, my stomach is starting to grumble,” Pinkie Pie commented. As if on cue, a low growl echoed throughout the path, causing the group to turn their attention to the perky pink mare. “Wow, you weren’t joking, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “That wasn’t me.” Pinkie Pie said with a deadpan expression. “Th-th-then w-what was it?” Fluttershy stammered, looking frantically around the wooded area surrounding them. Turning towards the source of the sound, AppleJack soon discovered pairs upon pairs of eerie yellow eyes lurking in the underbrush that lied on both sides of the path. “Umm, girls. Don’t wanna alert nopony or nothin’, but I think I done found that grumbling stomach.” “More like stomachs in this case,” Rainbow Dash commented, emphasizing on the plural as the girls began to huddle around one another. One after the other, the sets off eyes soon crept onto the path to reveal numerous ravenous and disgruntled timberwolves, practically salivating at the thought of so many ponies having wandered into their territory. Rarity did her best to keep as much distance between her and the wooden wolves along with whatever composure she had left as she addressed Dante. “W-w-well it seems Vergil didn’t leave just his mark, but a rather unfavorable impression with the local wildlife.” “Typical,” Dante sneered. He then stood up on his hind legs, readying himself as he reached back for his sword. “So I guess we’re doing this Old Yeller style, huh?” However, the first attack was not against Dante, but instead, one of the timberwolves rushed straight for the group of girls who were isolated from the demon hunter. “Oh no you don’t, ya filthy varmint!” cried AppleJack. Taking action, she ran head first into the timberwolf only to stop just a few feet short as she spun around, reeled back her hind legs, and unleashed a powerful buck that completely annihilated the timberwolf into a burst of splinters and dead wood. “Whoo! Way to go, AppleJack!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed before joining the farm pony in the fray. Without the slightest hesitation, the cyan-blue pegasus flew into the pack of wolves, stomping and punching her way through the crowd. “I’ll be damned.” Dante let out a whistle. Guess these girls are a lot tougher than I gave ‘em credit for, he lingered off in thought. Seeing Dante’s attention now turned away from them, a few wolves chose to take that exact moment to ambush the devil hunter. Leading the group, one of the wolves dove straight for Dante’s neck, letting out a vicious snarl mid-air. Unfortunately for his assailant, Dante merely tilted his head back, completely dodging the attack as the wolf landed right in front of him. Reaching back, Dante quickly grabbed his sword. “Down boy!” shouted the demon hunter as he brought the large blade down onto the unsuspecting wolf. The creature let out a shrill yelp of pain as its body was instantly destroyed from the force of the Rebellion. The rest of the wolves followed suit, hoping to avenge their fallen comrade only to be sliced and diced left and right by Dante’s expert swordsmanship. “Looks like you weren’t all talk after all.” Rainbow Dash shouted to Dante before socking a timberwolf right in the jaw for trying to bite at her tail. “Seeing is believing!” he called out to the pegasus as he quick stepped away from a group of timberwolves and reeled his sword back. The blade soon began to glow a deep shade of red. The next second Dante swung his blade forward in a back-hoofed fashion, unleashing a crimson shockwave that tore straight through the pack of oncoming timberwolves, their bodies shattered and sliced beyond recognition. “Woah!” Spike shouted in awe. “That was so cool!” “Spike!” Twilight scolded him as she shot forth a burst of magic from her horn that destroyed one of the timberwolves heading for their group. Meanwhile Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie continued to huddle away from the fight, watching their friend’s backs. “What!? Ya gotta admit that was pretty awesome.” The young drake whined. “Kid, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” Dante boasted as he held out his left forehoof. Soon, the amulet on his cutie mark began to glow as his left hoof was engulfed in a bright white light. The light surrounding his hoof soon began to form into a small, silver arm canon. Upon first glance, one would mistake it as a piece of assisting machinery, far advanced beyond normal comprehension, but its functions were much more primal than that. With two rose colored jewels decorating each side while one seemed to form both the energy source and barrel of the object, it was built to be the ultimate energy blaster. “Just what in the hay is that thing!?” AppleJack cried, struggling to hold back a timberwolf that was trying to bite at her face. Aiming the the energy blaster towards AppleJack’s direction, Dante fired out what appeared to be a burst of pink energy. As the timberwolf opened his mouth for one more attempt at the farm pony, its head immediately burst into splinters thanks to Dante’s quick shooting, allowing AppleJack the opportunity to kick the lifeless husk off of her. “This thing, my dear,” Dante began as he took a self-congradulatory bow, only to whip around and shoot down three timberwolves that were diving at him from behind in a spectatular fashion; his flowing red coat now settling as their remains crumbled to the ground “Would be Artemis.” Both the girls and the wolves stared on in silence and slack-jawed awe at Dante’s impressive display of marksmanship. Pinkie Pie, however, was the first to break the silence. “Oh my gosh! Are you like a cyborg or something!?” she asked as she hopped excitedly up and down, while a timberwolf was still staring on dumbfoundedly next to her. “Hell of an imagination you’ve got there, Pinks!” Dante smirked. “By the way, you mind stepping to the right a bit?” Pinkie Pie happily obliged as she quickly jumped a few inches to the right, putting some space between her and the shocked timberwolf. “Like this?” Dante then fired Artemis right at the gawking timberwolf, blasting the beast into pieces of lumber, causing Pinkie Pie to flinch a little as she covered her face with her hooves. “Perfect.” He answered. It wasn’t long after witnessing another one of their comrades fall that the wolves finally managed to snap out of their gawking, and continue their assault against the ponies they so desired to make their meal. “Hey hey! Over here!” Pinkie Pie taunted as she blew raspberries at a few of the wolves, causing a few of them to focus their attention on the pink mare. “Betcha can’t catch me!” she cried as she bounced away, provoking the wolves to chase right after her. Soon Pinkie had stopped right in front of a tree and turned with a giggle to face the wolves that now had her cornered. “Oopsie” she said innocently. Immediately, one of the wolves dove for the bubbly pony, only to completely miss as Pinkie side stepped at the last second, causing the wolf to slide headfirst into the hallowed out base of the tree trunk where he was soon stomped into pieces by AppleJack’s powerful backhooves. Not wanting to waste time, the second and third wolf hurriedly pursued the pink pony, not realizing that Rarity was standing by, holding back a rather thick, low hanging branch, waiting for her cue. The moment Pinkie Pie bounced past Rarity, the white unicorn mare let go of the branch, sending it swinging right into the unsuspecting wolves, shattering their bodies upon impact. “Seems these puppies are all bark and no bite.” Dante commented, genuinely impressed as he witnessed the girl’s use of teamwork. However, the majority of the pack was now running towards the lone demon hunter, whom they considered the easier prey as he was out of reach from the rest of the girls. “Don’t you guys ever get tired of playing dead?” he complained as he readied both his blade and Artemis. Dante shot and slashed his way through the oncoming crowd and made a dash for one of the larger trees scattered about the pathway while simultaneously luring the beasts to his general direction. Stopping just short of the thick tree, he quickly turned on his backhooves and with a mighty swing of Rebellion, he chopped right through the dense trunk. Not wasting any time, he rushed to the opposite side of the tree, reeled back his hind legs and bucked the falling tree right onto the charging pack of timberwolves before shouting “Timbeeeeeer!” The wolves had no time to react as the gigantic trunk completely smashed a good number of their pack, while the rest had just stopped short of the fallen tree in shock, only to get bucked and kicked into oblivion by AppleJack and Rainbow Dash as the two swooped in from behind. “Wish ya were this enthusiastic when it came to apple bucking!” The farm pony cried out to Dante. “Wish it were this fun!” he retorted as he snapped around to spear a timberwolf with the tip of his sword. The wolf quizzically looked down to see its impaled torso being held up by Rebellion. The next second, Dante held up Artemis right at the wolf’s face and blasted the creature, sending its remains flying off his sword. “I’m not sure I would consider this fun.” Fluttershy weakly mumbled amongst the ruckus as she huddled behind Twilight and Spike. More and more, the timberwolves continued to emerge from the depths of the Everfree and despite their best efforts, both the girls and Dante were being severly outnumbered. At this rate, the situation was growing most dire with each passing second. “Ah’m startin’ to think we’re gonna have to make a break for it!” AppleJack said to Twilight as she continued to kick her way through a number of timberwolves while trying to regroup with the rest of the girls. “AJ seems to have the right idea!” Rainbow Dash agreed as she hovered above the unicorn mare while the rest of the girls had finally managed to huddle back to Twilight, who was continuously fending off the timberwolves with bursts of magic from her horn. “No need!” Dante shouted as he continued to blast and hack his way through each and every wolf that dared to attack him. He then turned his attention to the group of girls, noticing Twilight’s use of magic. “Hey bookworm!” he cried out to the lavender unicorn. “Ya got any fancy defensive spells? Like something to take cover with?” “It’s Twilight!” shouted the purple mare. “And yes, I believe I can create a force field if that’s what you’re asking!” “Perfect. Then you might wanna get to making one for you and your friends ASAP!” “What’re you planning to do!?” Twilight asked as she readied her horn to cast the spell. “Save all questions ‘till after the show.” He responded as he holstered Rebellion onto his back and held Artemis straight above his head, aiming it directly up to the night sky. It was at that moment that Twilight caught on to what it was that Dante was planning as she noticed the barrel of Artemis beginning to glow brighter and brighter by the second. During this time, the wolves had managed to close in on both Dante and the girls, having completely surrounded them from all sides. With just a nod, Dante signaled to Twilight to commence the spell, and without hesitation she created a large, magical, magenta colored dome that encased her, Spike and the rest of the girls, leaving Dante to stand against the wolves unprotected. “It’s done!” Twilight shouted to Dante. “Good. Hope you ladies like fireworks!” he cried as he finally fired off his charged shot straight into the sky. The rose colored ball of energy shot up to great heights directly above the Everfree, stopping the wolves in their tracks as they were entranced by the almost hypnotic orb of light. Moments later, just as fast as it was fired, the orb burst into a brilliant explosion that seemed to light up the entire night sky. “That. Is. Amazing.” Rainbow Dash muttered, completely awestruck by the display of light. “It’s so beautiful.” Fluttershy chimed in as she poked her head out from under her hooves that had previously covered her face. The next moment, specks of light began to fall back to the ground, directly above Dante and the surrounding wolves. Upon further inspection, Twilight had noticed that those specks of light were actually hundreds of shots, exactly the same as the ones Dante had previously fired from Artemis. It was then that the falling shots began to pulverize the surrounding area, and completely obliterating each and every timberwolf within the vicinity. The panicked beasts tried to run for cover, but their efforts were in vain as the shots rained down like hellfire all around them, leaving not a single wolf spared as their pained cries rang out through the forest. Twilight was at a loss for words at just what she was witnessing while still concentrating with all her might to keep the scattered shots from breaking through the force field. Finally, after every shot had landed, leaving the small area in which Dante was standing completely untouched, he then turned back to the girls with a grin. “So… did you enjoy the light show?” Looking around at the remains of both the wolves and Dante’s handiwork, Twilight slowly lowered the shield. “That was so awesome!” Rainbow Dash cried out, no longer able to contain her excitement as she rushed towards Dante. “That officially tears it! You have to be a Demon Hunter! I can’t believe I doubted it this whole time.” “Easy there, ya fan-filly.” Chuckled AppleJack as she trotted alongside her friend, causing the pegasus’ cheeks to flush a bright red hue. “If I may, concur,” chimed in Rarity. “That little spectacle of yours, Dante, was simply marvelous. Such finesse and showmanship; honestly, I never would have figured a stallion as, ahem, rugged as you would have the capacity for such elegance.” “’Preciate the praise and all,” Dante said as Artemis soon faded from his left hoof. “But I think we should focus on catching up to Vergil now. Pretty sure we lost a lot of time thanks to those… what do you call them again?” “Timberwolves.” Twilight answered, causing Dante to cringe at the painful pun-like name. “And he’s right, girls. Dante, I can’t thank you enough for your help back there and as impressive as that was, you do make a point. We don’t have much time to stand around. We need to get moving!” The girls all agreed as they allowed Twilight to take the lead while Dante followed quietly behind; the group now getting itself back on track towards the old Canterlot Castle Ruins. Meanwhile, not but just a few minutes ago, Vergil had been quietly trotting across the cold, yet arid wasteland until a faint light began to shine high up in the sky. Catching a glimpse of the rose colored aura that suddenly illuminated the sky, he quickly turned his attention to discover the source of the light was far behind him. Off in the distance, he saw an orb of light hovering above the Everefree forest, just in time to witness it burst into a shower of energy that rained down onto the forest below. Much to his dismay, it was only then that Vergil realized what had caused that little light show. “Dante.” Vergil muttered under his breath in disgust. His mind was soon left to wonder just why his brother was so far out here. No doubt Dante was more than likely following him, but how would he know where he was in the first place? Suddenly it all came back to Vergil as he began to recall his interactions with both Twilight and Fluttershy. No doubt, Twilight would have grown more than a bit suspicious of his studies on Tartarus and more than likely might have confided in Dante…But Fluttershy… She must have said a little too much to my brother, Vergil thought to himself, somewhat frustrated at this new turn of events. “Oh well,” he sighed as he turned back towards his destination. “It’s not really her fault anyway. I shouldn’t have been so hasty as to not properly cover my tracks.” He soon began to gallop further into the wastelands, now more determined than ever to get to the Gates of Tartarus as fast as possible, lest Dante once again interefere with his plans. It was but only a few minutes before the girls arrived at the bridge leading to the Castle Ruins. It was an old wooden bridge that was suspended hundreds of feed above a deep gorge that divided the Everfree and the Castle Ruins. Despite its age though, the bridge had proven numerous times to serve as a reliable structure. Before they began to cross, Twilight quickly caught sight of a large crater, just a few feet away from the bridge. Figuring it was made by Vergil, she began to cautiously inspect the bridge, making sure he had not tampered with it in anyway as to avoid followers. The more I see just what these two are capable of…, Twilight thought as she placed a cautious hoof down onto the bridge to see if it could still support her weight. The more I’m convinced that this Legend of Sparda may hold some truth to it. “Hey, Twilight.” called Spike as he leaned up to Twilight’s ear. “You feelin’ alright? You seem a bit…nervous.” “Oh, don’t mind me,” Twilight dismissed openly in front of the group. “I’m just checking to make sure the bridge is still safe is all. Can’t be too careful, ya know?” One by one, the group briskly moved forward in a single file line onto the bridge. Dante then stepped up next to cross. Giving the bridge a quick look over, he silently waited until all the girls had reached the other side. “Hey Dante!” Rainbow Dash called out. “You comin’ or what!?” “Yeah, yeah, hold your horses.” He said as he started to cross. However, unlike the girls, each step he took let out a loud creak along with a few boards beginning to crack under the pressure of his hooves. Dante quizzically looked behind him to see the rope that was supporting his side of the bridge was beginning to tear. Noticing this, Twilight started panicking. Dante was practically the same size as her and the girls, if not a bit smaller than the average stallion, yet his weight alone was putting too much strain on the bridge. It suddenly hit her as she realized the cause after taking another look at the demon hunter. “Dante! Stop!” Twilight shouted to the demon hunter. “I don’t think you should try to cross the bridge with that sword on your back! That weight combined with your own is just too much pressure focused on one spot!” “Don’t worry!” he said, dismissing Twilight’s concerns. “I got this!” He then began to continue his slow yet steady pace, making sure not to put too much force in each step he took. Unfortunately for him, the ropes were still wearing thin. “Rainbow Dash, quick! Go get Dante to pass his sword to you. For all we know that thing could give out at any second.” Ordered Twilight. “On it!” the pegasus saluted before taking off, flying over the bridge towards Dante’s location. “Hey Dante! Ya might wanna toss that bad boy over here for a second,” she suggested as she hovered directly above the demon hunter pony. “I’ll hold it for you until you get to the other end.” Dante simply scoffed as he took another cautious step forward. “I swear you chicks are making a big deal outta noth-“ just as he had planted his hoof down, the board beneath him gave and the ropes supporting the starting end of the bridge snapped without warning, sending Dante screaming all the way down into the deep gorge below. “-iiiiiiiiiiing!” “Dante!” Spike and the girls gasped in unison as they witnessed the demon hunter falling towards the ground far beneath them. Without so much as wasting a second, Rainbow Dash hurriedly dived down after him, stretching out her forehooves in an attempt to grab onto his own. “Take my hoof!” she shouted out as they continued their descent. Shaking his head, Dante simply batted her hoof away before responding. “I got this!” The next second, Dante quickly grabbed onto the end of the falling half of the bridge and began to shift his weight, using it like a rope to send him swinging towards the side of the cliff on which the girls were standing. Rainbow Dash immediately pulled up, but was still hovering close by just in case. Before he could crash into the cliffside below, Dante held out one of his forehooves as the amulet on his cutie mark once again began to glow from under his coat. In his outstretched hoof, a light shined as he summoned forth a nunchuck with three end pieces tethered to a center ring by chains; each head of the three segments were encased in an ice, curled into blue, hook like blades. This weapon was known to Dante, as Cerberus. Dante then, holding onto one end of the three segments, chucked the other two hooks forward, causing the chains holding them to extend to great lengths as they latched onto the side of the cliff a few feet above him. He then began to pull himself upwards, only to end up dislodging a few large rocks from the cliff, sending Rainbow Dash into a nervous fit. Reeling back Cerberus, Dante quickly leapt into action as he planted his backhooves onto one of the rocks that were falling alongside him, only to propel himself upwards to the next rock as he jumped off of the first. His reflexes were impeccable as he bounded and flipped from one rock to the next, each and every leap sending him higher and higher until the edge of the cliff was within throwing distance. He then threw Cerberus’ hooks upwards once more, firmly latching onto the edge of the cliff this time, Dante now hanging just about ten feet below where the girls were. “Wow…” said Rainbow Dash as she flew up, hovering next to Dante, and finally letting out a sigh of relief. “You really did have that under control.” “Tricks of the trade.” He smirked. “So how ya plan on getting up, genius?” Rainbow Dash chuckled smugly, noticing the demon hunter seemed to be aimlessly dangling from the cliff as he continued to hold on with a single forehoof. Dante only grinned before responding to the rainbow-maned pegasus. “Hold your applause please.” With just one tug and a simple shift of his weight, the demon hunter flung himself over on top of the cliff, flipping forward multiple times, all before landing upright on his backhooves directly in front of the girls. “Was that really necessary?” Twilight asked flatly, not one bit impressed this time around by Dante’s antics. “Absolutely,” He answered as he began to twirl the Cerberus nunchaku all around and across his body almost effortlessly. “Hyah, Hoo, Hah, Wah.” “I guess his style has a certain… flair to it.” Rarity chimed in, trying her best to sound sincere. “I like it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, trying to imitate Dante’s stance. Having finished pulling up the bridge and retying the ropes back to the supports on the opposite side of the gorge, Rainbow Dash flew back to where the girls were waiting. As she landed, Dante was finally finishing up his little karate act by spinning all three segments by the center of the nunchaku with just one of his back legs before grabbing the end of one of the hooks and began to twirl the whole set around his waist almost like a hula hoop before letting out a loud, drawn out, yet cheesy battle cry. “Waaaaaaaahaaaaa!” Rainbow Dash stilfed a laugh before speaking up. “Showboating as usual, huh?” “You know it,” Dante answered as he dismissed Cerberus, causing the weapon to fade from his hooves. “If you’re gonna do something, might as well do it stylishly.” "Ahem," Twilight spoke up, a tinge of irritation in her voice. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Dante, but weren’t you the one who insisted that we shouldn’t be wasting anymore time?” “Yeah, I hear ya, buzzkill.” He replied dismissively, only to receive a thump on the back of his head from AppleJack. “Might wanna try and show some manners there, boy.” she corrected him as nicely as possible. “Twilight’s doin’ all she can to help stop Vergil as quick as possible and you’re here treatin’ it like it’s some ‘ol walk in the park.” Rubbing the back of his head, Dante scoffed before speaking. “Just going by what bookworm said is all. If Vergil took this long just to get here, then I’m guessing he still hasn’t made it to Tartarus yet.” “It’s just a hunch,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “And if we’re all done here, can we please head on out? The Badlands are just past these ruins.” The group, including Dante, silently obliged as they continued on their path past the old Canterlot Castle Ruins. After a couple of minutes of passing through the last of the forest, they soon began their trek onwards into the cold, night air that blew across the rocky wastelands that seemed to stretch out as far as the eye could see. As they stepped forth into the badlands, Twilight then began to gallop onwards, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow suit. “From here on out, we’re hoofing it. Got it?” “Right.” affirmed the group as they began to gallop alongside their unicorn friend. There was no turning back at this point. If they were to stop Vergil, then they would have to make the utmost haste.