//------------------------------// // Friendship is Magic (Part 1) // Story: Devil May Cry: Demons in Equestria // by GeekMaster101 //------------------------------// As Nero stared out amongst the many partygoers in the library, he recalled the day's events, and only one, simple question went through his mind. ...How the hell did I get here? Earlier that day... Nero had been walking for about half an hour now. He imagined he would have been at the town by now if he didn't keep tripping and falling. He let out a sigh after having fallen for the umpteenth time. He could imagine the others would be laughing their asses off if they saw him right now, especially Nico or Dante. This is getting stupid. The hell was that walking, talking, petting zoo thinking when he turned me into this? How am I supposed to fight anything if I can't even stand up straight!? Technically, Nero could just use his Devil Bringer, but there are some demons that can't be grabbed until he's either stunned them or broken their guard. Besides, even if he could grab them, it would get boring using the same move over and over again. If he wanted to be stylish, he would need to be able to use Red Queen and Blue Rose. Without hands, doing so would be rather difficult. Nero thought about a possible solution until he got an idea. Discord had said he would be watching him, so maybe... "Hey, Discord! Are you there!?" The devil hunter yelled out. It didn't take long for the master of chaos to appear before him. "You called?" Discord looked down at the devil hunter, amused. Nero pushed himself off the ground and stood back up, facing him. "How do you expect me to take care of your demon problem if I can't even walk!? Is there anything you can do to fix this?" He asked. "Complaining about it isn't going to help solve the problem, you know. Maybe if you try asking nicely?" Discord snarked. Nero simply glared at him. This guy was really getting on his nerves. "Fine, fine." Discord gave in and snapped his fingers. There was a flash, then Nero felt something new on top of his head. He got a feel for it with his hooves and realized that it was a horn. "There. Now you're a unicorn. Happy?" "Wh- how is a horn supposed to help me!?" "It should allow you to use your weapons more easily and efficiently." The draconequus explained. "Again, how!?" Discord simply sighed and said, "You can't expect me to hold your hand through everything, Nero. You're a big boy, I'm sure you'll figure it out yourself." he then went to snap his fingers and teleport away again. "No wait! Come ba- and he's gone." Nero sighed as the draconequus vanished. He turned and began carefully making his way down the path once more. "Asshole." He muttered. By the time Nero reached a clearing in the trees and spotted the town, he had started to get the hang of walking. He would occasionally stumble every now and then, but he wasn't falling over every few steps, so it was an improvement. He spotted a sign to his left with words that looked... kind of like English. The letters were all shaped weirdly, some of them even looked like horseshoes. Fortunately, it resembled English just enough that Nero was able to decipher that the sign said, "Welcome to Ponyville". Ponyville? What kind of name for a town is that? Nero stared at the town from afar and quickly realized the reason for the name. The town was full of ponies. He could see ponies walking along the streets, entering and exiting the houses, browsing shops, and going about their everyday lives. He even saw what looked like ponies having a conversation. Considering Nero could talk while he was a pony, it seemed to make sense that they could talk too. It was still bizarre to see, though. Guess that explains why Discord turned me into a pony. This'll make one hell of a story to tell Kyrie and Nico when I get back... if they'll even believe me. That's when it clicked with Nero. He remembered what Discord had called this world, Equestria... It was a pun. "Oh, God, that's terrible." He groaned at the corniness of it. He hoped this would be the only pony related pun he would come across during his time here. Part of him knew it most likely wouldn't be. Rather than waste time gawking, Nero continued on his way towards the town. I should look for an authority figure of some sort and ask about any demon sightings. Maybe a sheriff or town mayor or something. Shouldn't be too hard to blend in, now that I'm a pony myself. It was after that thought that Nero considered a rather scary possibility. He was a pony, and ponies were herbivores, so did that mean... ...I'm not a vegetarian now, am I? Once he reached Ponyville, Nero started exploring the town, which looked like something out of a children's coloring book. As he did, he noticed quite the lack of modern technology. The devil hunter wondered if that was only the case for this town, or if it was the same for the rest of Equestria. Also, now that he was closer to the ponies, he could hear that they were, in fact, talking. Even then, he was finding it a little hard to believe. He was also one of the few ponies actually wearing clothes, so he assumed nudity was just normal here. Speaking of the ponies, he noticed that while some of the ponies looked normal (not counting the vibrant colors and butt tattoos), some of them had wings, while others had horns like himself. Discord already mentioned that the horned ones were unicorns so what about the ones with wings? I think there was something like that in Greek mythology. They were called pegasuses if I remember correctly... or was it pegasi? He was pulled from his thoughts when a shadow passed over him. He looked up to see a rather ornate looking carriage being pulled by two of those pegasuses in gold armor. Now there's something you don't see every day. He watched as the carriage landed in town and a purple unicorn hopped out, followed by some sort of lizard thing with purple and green scales. The unicorn thanked the pegasuses and they flew away. Nero couldn't help but listen in on their conversation. "Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about!" The lizard said, gesturing to a very pink pony that was approaching them. "C'mon, Twilight, just try!" The pink pony stopped in front of them, looking between the lizard, the unicorn, and Nero. The unicorn looked at the pink one hesitantly before speaking. "Uh...hello?" As soon as she said that, the pink pony leaped into the air and let out the longest, most dramatic gasp Nero had ever heard before taking off at the speed of sound. ...The fuck was that? "...Well, that was interesting, alright." The unicorn said sarcastically. "You got that right..." Nero mumbled, still looking in the direction the pink pony had run off in. While he hadn't meant for them to hear, he spoke loud enough to get the unicorn and lizard's attention. "Oh, hey there! Are you new in town as well?" The lizard greeted him. "Hm? Oh, yeah, I just got here." He addressed the pair. "There you go, Twilight! You can be friends with him! The two of you can bond over being new in town!" The lizard said happily. Huh? The purple unicorn groaned and turned to face Nero with a smile that looked a tad forced. Now that she was directly in front of him, he was able to get a better look at the unicorn. Her hair and tail were a much darker shade of purple than her fur, and they each had a magenta streak running through them. Her cutie mark appeared to be a magenta six-pointed star with sparkles around it. "Hello, my name's Twilight Sparkle. And you are...?" Twilight Sparkle? Are weird names like that common here? "Name's Nero. You said you were new in town as well?" "Yes, we're here to check on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration around Ponyville." She answered. Another thing I know nothing about. Sounds like some sort of event. Nero thought about it for a second. ...If this Summer Sun Celebration is a big event, then there's probably going to be someone important running it, like the mayor or something. If she's checking up on preparations, she's probably going to meet with someone like that. Even if she isn't, it'd be a good way to get to know my way around town. "Uh, hello?" Twilight waved a hoof in front of Nero's face and stirred the half-demon from his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. I was wondering, you said you were checking up on preparations. Think I can tag along? Might be a good way to get to know the town." He asked. Before Twilight could give an answer, the lizard did it for her. "That'd be great! We could use more company!" Twilight shot him a glare before turning back to Nero. "...I guess so. I suppose there's no harm in it, anyway." She then turned to the lizard. "C'mon, Spike. Let's get going." The three of them began walking to their first stop. As they did, the lizard turned to Nero. "Nice to meet you, Nero! My name's Spike! Spike the dragon!" Nero gave Spike a smile and a nod and they continued to follow Twilight. ... ...Wait... ...Did he just say he's a dragon? The trio were following a road out of town. Apparently, the first stop on the list was a farm not too far from Ponyville. It was then that Spike started to make some conversation. "That's a pretty cool sword you got there!" The lizard- er, dragon, pointed to the sword on Nero's back. "You mean Red Queen? Yeah, she's something special. I've had this baby with me for years, now." He replied. "Woah..." Spike stared at Red Queen with awe and wonder. Seeing this, Nero decided to give the kid a show. "It's not just a normal sword, you know. It's got an extra little trick up its sleeve. Check this out!" He grabbed Red Queen's handle with his hoof, albeit a little awkwardly, then revved it. Spike went wide-eyed seeing the flames spurt from the sword. It even got Twilight's attention. "That's AWESOME!" Spike had the biggest grin on his face. Nero couldn't help but chuckle. "That's quite a weapon. What do you use it for?" Twilight decided to join in on the conversation. Nero thought about the best way to word his response. "I'm an... exterminator of sorts. I need it to help deal with pests. That's actually why I'm here." He explained. That was... technically the truth. "What kind of pests require a sword like that?" She asked, now very curious. "Big ones. Damn big ones." Nero simply responded, and Twilight gasped. "Nero! Language!" She said, trying to cover Spike's ears. "O-Oh, right, sorry!" He apologized. Gotta watch my swearing around the kid. The three of them were coming up on the farm when Spike pulled out a checklist and began reading. "Summer Sun Celebration Official Overseer's Checklist! Number 1: Banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acres." Nero scanned the farm, seeing a large barn, a chicken coop, a well, some sort of tower with carrots all over it, and hills filled with apple trees as far as the eye can see. Sweet Apple Acres, huh? Guess this is some sort of apple orchard. "YEEEEEEEEHAAAWW!!!" The group turned to the source of the voice, an orange pony with a blonde mane and Stetson hat running towards an apple tree surrounded by baskets. Nero also noticed the pony's cutie mark, which appeared to be three red apples. She pivoted on her hoof and bucked her hind legs into the tree. This caused every last apple in the tree to fall and land in the baskets. The orange pony then crossed her right hoof over her left, striking a pose. Well, that's one way to pick an apple tree. "Let's get this over with," Twilight sighed before approaching the pony. "Good afternoon, my name is Twilight Sparkle." The second she finished her sentence, the farm pony latched onto Twilight's hoof and started shaking it violently. "Well, howdy doo, Miss Twilight! A pleasure makin' yer acquaintance!" Without stopping her rapid hoof-shaking, the farm pony turned her gaze to Nero. "And who might y'all be?" "U-Uh, Nero." He answered, surprised at how fast she was shaking Twilight's hoof. He was half demon, and even he didn't think he could shake a hand that fast. "Pleasure makin' yer acquaintance as well, Mister Nero!" She then turned her focus back to Twilight, still shaking her hoof. "I'm Applejack! We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like makin' new friends!" My God, her Southern accent is thicker than Kyrie's as- ok just gonna stop that thought right there. "F-Friends!? Actually-y-y-y, I-I, uh...!" Twilight could barely get the words out from being shaken up so much. Even after Applejack let go, Twilight continued to shake. "So! What can I do ya for?" Applejack winked. Spike grabbed Twilight to stop her constant shaking. Once she was stable, Spike snickered, trying not to laugh. After paying him a glance, Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, I am, in fact, here to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And you're in charge of the food?" She asked. "We sure as sugar are! Would ya care to sample some?" Twilight thought about her answer before Nero spoke up. "Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit hungry. I wouldn't mind trying some." Nero replied. He wondered if this would make him the first person to try alien food. "Well, as long as it doesn't take too long." Twilight finally decided. At that, Applejack zoomed off and rang a nearby triangle. "SOUP'S ON, EVERYPONY!!!" She yelled. as soon as she did, Nero felt the ground shake, and he heard a rumbling from behind him getting louder and louder. Both he and Twilight turned to see a small army of ponies charging right for them. Holy shit! Normally, Nero could have dodged the crowd easily. Unfortunately, he didn't have much practice with his new body outside of learning to walk and wasn't able to move properly. He ended up getting tackled alongside Twilight and Spike, and the three of them were carried all the way over to a table nearby. Just as they were regaining their senses, Applejack popped up next to them. "Now, why don't I introduce y'all to the Apple family?" She gestured to the dozens upon dozens of ponies surrounding them. Jeez, I thought it was rabbits who were infamous for frequent breeding, not ponies! "...Thanks, but we really need to hurry-" Before Twilight could finish her sentence, a pony shoved a plate of food in front of her and Applejack began introducing relative after relative, each one bringing more food to the table. "This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp," The farm pony inhaled, taking a deep breath before continuing. By this point, a mountain of food sat on the table. "...Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, aaaaaaand... Granny Smith." She gestured to a large red pony wearing a work horse collar, a small yellow pony with a bow, and a green elderly pony sleeping in a rocking chair respectively. "Up an' at 'em, Granny Smith! We got guests!" Applejack called to the old pony, who stirred from her slumber. "Egh, wha...? Soup's on?" Granny Smith got out of her chair and slowly but surely made her way over. "I'm, uh, I'm comin', I'm comin'." I can hear the poor lady's bones cracking from here. How ancient is she? Applejack wrapped a hoof around Twilight, who Nero hadn't even noticed had food stuffed in her mouth. "Why, I'd say they're already part of the family!" Twilight quickly spit the food out of her mouth. He was sure she hadn't intended for it, but some of the food got on Nero. He promptly wiped it off. "Okay, well, I can see the food situation is handled, so we'll be on our way." She chuckled nervously. While Nero didn't want to be rude, he needed to find a lead on the demons as soon as possible, so he agreed with Twilight on that sentiment. "Aren't ya gonna stay for brunch?" The two of them looked down to see the tiny yellow pony with the bow from earlier, Apple Bloom, giving sad, puppy dog eyes. Very adorable puppy dog eyes, he might add. "Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do." Twilight apologized, now seeming genuinely sorry. All the ponies around them let out a depressed "aww" as they looked down in sadness. Nero turned back to Apple Bloom, who was still giving those puppy dog eyes. You're stronger than this, Nero. You can resist that face. You're better than- "Fine..." Both he and Twilight groaned at the same time. The entire Apple family lit up and cheered now that their guests had agreed to stay. Welp, hope my stomach is ready for this. Nero's stomach was, in fact, not ready for it. He winced as his stomach gurgled in pain. He felt like was gonna puke. "Food's all taken care of, next is weather." Spike marked food off the checklist. He turned back to look at Nero and Twilight, both of which were lagging behind. "I ate too much pie..." Twilight groaned. "No more apples... please..." Nero also groaned. Though, he did have to admit, they were damn good apples. He'd never had any that good before. He saw Spike scanning the sky and followed his gaze, wondering what he was looking for. All he saw were clouds. "There's supposed to be a pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds." Oh yeah, there are flying ponies. I forgot about that. ...Wait, 'clearing the clouds'? How do you clear clouds? "Well, she's not doing a very good job, is she?" Twilight commented, looking up at the cloudy sky. "Hold on, how do you-" before Nero could finish his sentence, something crashed into him and Twilight from behind. Going by how far it sent them flying, he would have thought it was a demon that had planned a sneak attack, if it wasn't for the "OOF!" that came from their assailant. Next thing he knew, they were face first in a watery puddle of mud. Oh, you've gotta be shitting me. He felt whoever had collided with them get up off of their backs, then he heard the stranger start chuckling. "Uh, excuse me?" A raspy, tomboyish voice spoke, followed by more chuckling. "Little late for that, don't you think?" Nero grumbled. When he turned his head to see the source of the voice, he was met with a cyan pegasus with rainbow colored hair, or a mane, as he'd learned they're called here. Her cutie mark appeared to be a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt underneath it. He assumed this was 'Rainbow Dash'. "Heh, let me help you." The rainbow-maned pony chuckled before zooming away. Nero sat up and examined himself. He was covered head to toe- er, hoof, in mud. He really needed to get used to the horse lingo. He spotted the pegasus that would owe him dry cleaning finally returning. To his surprise, she was pushing a cloud. Last time he checked, that wasn't physically possible. The devil hunter's brain struggled to process the defiance of physics occurring right before his eyes. Wha-...but-...how-...? Before he knew it, the pegasus pushed the cloud right over their heads. She then got on top of it and hopped up and down, causing a torrent of rain to fall on them. While they were no longer covered in mud, the half-demon and the unicorn were now dripping wet. He could hear the pegasus snickering above them. "Oops! I guess I overdid it. Um, uh, how 'bout this?" The rainbow-maned pegasus flew around them at a speed much greater than anything he'd ever seen. There wasn't even a demon in existence that was this fast. Well, not counting Dante and his father. He felt himself being lifted off the ground. "My very own patented..." She flew up above them once she'd finished, "Rainblow Dry! No, no, don't thank me. You're quite welcome!" She slowly descended to the ground. "Good. I wasn't planning to." Nero said, getting the pegasus' attention. Nero didn't need a mirror to know his hair, despite being short, was now a mess. Though looking at Twilight's mane, she probably got it worse. As soon as the pegasus saw them, she tried to stifle a laugh, but it quickly won over, and she did so hysterically as she collapsed to the ground. Hell, even Spike joined in. If Nero was being honest, he may have joined in too, if he wasn't one of the victims here. "Yeah, yeah, yuck it up, why don't you?" Nero ruffled his hair until it was back to normal. He had a feeling Twilight's mane was going to require more grooming than that. "Let me guess; You're Rainbow Dash." Twilight said it as more of a statement than a question. Hearing her, the pegasus sprung up from the ground. "The one and only!" She answered, confirming Nero's suspicion. Rainbow Dash flew into the air and got up close to them. "Why? You heard of me?" "I heard you're supposed to be keeping the sky clear." Twilight told her matter-of-factly. Still not clear on how that works. Twilight sighed before properly introducing them. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Nero. The princess sent me to check on the weather." Princess? Now there's a monarchy system? "Yeah, yeah. That'll be a snap. I'll do it in a jiffy, just as soon as I'm done practicing." Rainbow responded, kicking back and somehow laying down on top of a cloud. Still really not clear on how that works. "Practicing for what?" The purple unicorn questioned her. "The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow exclaimed, then pointed to a poster on a building. On the poster were three pegasuses wearing some kind of matching jumpsuits. Above them were the silhouettes of four more pegasuses soaring through the air. "Their gonna perform at the celebration tomorrow, and I'm gonna show them my stuff!" She did a couple flips before landing on another cloud. The Wonder-who-now? "The Wonderbolts?" Twilight asked. "Yup." Rainbow curtly responded. "The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?" Twilight continued, proving that at least she knew who they were. "That's them." Rainbow once again responded curtly. "Pffft, please. They'd never accept a pegasus who can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day." Twilight scoffed. Rainbow sat up and looked down at her. "Hey, I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat!" She retorted. The smirk on Twilight's face grew even wider. "Prove it." Oh, I see what she's doing. Clever. Not wasting a second, the rainbow pegasus took off into the sky at the speed of light, leaving a rainbow trail behind. Now, Nero could tell she was fast, like, really fast, but there was no way she could actually clear the entire sky in only ten seconds. A feat that great would be- Rainbow bucked the final cloud out of the sky before landing on the ground. "What'd I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging." ...impossible. Nero looked at Twilight. Her eyes seemed to be mesmerized by the now clear sky. For a second, Nero had been, too. That was an impressive display. "Ha ha! You should see the look on your faces!" She chuckled as she hovered by them. "Ha! You guys are a laugh! I can't wait to hang out some more!" That seemed to snap Twilight out of her hypnotic state. After that, Rainbow Dash zoomed away, and they were left to their thoughts. "Wow... she's amazing!" Spike was the first to speak. His eyes then drifted to Twilight's mane, which still looked like she had an accident with a hair dryer. He couldn't stop himself from snickering. Twilight just groaned as she walked off. "Wait! It's kinda pretty once you get used to it!" He called after her. Nero just chuckled, shook his head, and followed after them. "I wonder if all the pegasuses in the Wonderbolts are like her." Nero said as soon as he caught up with them. The two of them gave him an odd look. ...Did I say something weird? "...You mean pegasi?" Twilight corrected him. Shit! Have I been saying it wrong the whole time? "Ah, yeah, sorry. Slip of the tongue." The devil hunter played it off. Twilight seemed to accept that answer as she continued forward. Phew, disaster averted... and still no authority figure. Well, maybe we'll find something at the next stop. "Decorations!" Spike checked another mark on the checklist. Nero looked around the large room they were in, an auditorium of sorts that was most likely used for public gatherings. It was currently decorated with banners, streamers, bouquets of flowers, and other decorations he didn't know the names of. This was supposed to be the town hall, so one would normally expect to find the mayor here, or at least someone of higher standing. Yet here Nero was, unable to find a single one. Ugh, come on. Not one important person in the entire building? This is getting ridiculous. "Beautiful~!" Spike commented. "Yes, the decor is coming along nicely. This ought to be quick! I'll be at the library in no time. Beautiful indeed!" Twilight agreed. When were we planning on going to the library? She got an overdue book or something? "Not the decor... her~!" Spike corrected her and pointed to a white unicorn with an elegantly styled indigo mane and tail. Her cutie mark appeared to consist of three diamonds. The pony that caught Spike's eye was looking at many different colored ribbons, tossing each one aside that she didn't like. "No... no... no... oh! Goodness, no." The mare spoke with a rather fancy accent, kind of like a rich socialite. As the mare went through them, Nero noticed something quite peculiar. Each ribbon she looked at was floating in mid-air. How the hell...? It was then that Nero saw the light blue hue surrounding each ribbon as they went by. A similar hue was surrounding the unicorn's horn. Discord's words replayed in his head, about how being a unicorn could help him use his weapons more efficiently. Can I levitate things, too? Definitely something to test out later... "How are my spines? Are they straight?" Spike seemed to be checking his tail. Nero looked at Spike, then at the unicorn, then at Spike, then at the unicorn, then back to Spike. "Yeah, sorry, but I think your chances are slim there, Romeo." "What!? Why!?" Spike asked Nero. "The age gap, first of all. Didn't you say you're a baby dragon?" He chuckled. "Good afternoon." Twilight greeted the unicorn as she approached her. "Just a moment, please. I'm 'in the zone', as it were." She then went back to focusing on the ribbons. "Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent! Now, um, how can I help you- WAA-HA-HA!!!" The unicorn screamed in horror as soon as she laid eyes on them. The sight she saw was absolutely horrid! "Oh my stars, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure!? She asked with concern. "Uh, gesundheit." Nero responded. The hell did she just say? "Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it's a long story. We're just here to check on the decorations, and then we'll be out of your hair." Twilight assured her. "Out of my hair? What about your hair!?" She then turned to Nero and gave him a once over, the same concerned expression spread across her face. "And, oh my, what in Equestria happened to your outfit, darling!? It looks like it's been put through a shredder!" "What's wrong with the way I dress?" The devil hunter questioned, but the unicorn seemed to be too focused on his clothes to listen to him. "The coat is absolutely filthy, and your shirt has several rips in it! Who would ever want to ruin an outfit like this?" She examined the clothing like she was a doctor examining a patient's injuries. "... I always wear it like this." Nero finally answered, and the unicorn let out a long, dramatic gasp. She looked like she was about to faint. "This simply will not do!" The mare stomped a hoof down. "Come, I shall fix both your mane and your outfit straight away!" She got behind both Nero and Twilight and began pushing them towards the exit. "Wait! Where are we going!? Help!" Twilight cried out. Nero just let it happen. At this point, he started to realize that all the ponies in this town seem crazy. He looked back at Spike, who had hearts in his eyes and was floating by his tail, which was spinning like a helicopter propeller. Today just keeps getting weirder and weirder. After the unicorn, who they learned was named Rarity, pushed them out of the town hall, she took them to her shop, Carousel Boutique. Apparently, she was a fashion designer. It wasn't until a couple minutes after Nero heard the name of the shop that he realized it was another horse pun. After fixing Twilight's mane, Rarity had the two of them try on several outfits, all of which Nero hated. "Too Green... too yellow... too poofy... not poofy enough... too frilly... too shiny..." She went through each outfit rather quickly. Nero considered telling her this was a violation of his rights, but then he realized he wasn't sure if this world even had rights. "Hey, I'm fine with my old clothes, y'know. Think I could get those back?" He asked, and the invasive pony simply scoffed. "You want to put those rags back on? I'll admit, the coat was nice, it's simply in dire need of a wash." She placed the coat on a hanger and hung it on a rack. "I'm afraid the shirt is a lost cause though, darling." She then chucked his shirt in a nearby trash can. I'm getting that shirt back, one way or another. Eventually, Rarity found an outfit for Twilight. As she dressed her, Rarity decided to continue their conversation from before. "Now go on, my dear. You were telling me where you're from." She pulled hard on the outfit's straps, making it tighter around Twilight's waste. The purple unicorn in question was clearly in pain, even shedding a tear. "I've... been sent... from canterlot... to-" That was all she managed to squeak out before Rarity released the straps and sent them both flying in opposite directions. "CANTERLOT!?" Rarity quickly got up in Twilight's face. "Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication, I've always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it! We are going to be the best of friends, you and I!" Nero could see the look of horror spread across Twilight's face before Rarity's eyes fell back on her outfit. "Emeralds!? What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!" As soon as the crazy pony took off, Twilight took action. "Quick! Before she decides to dye our fur a new color!" She sprinted out the door, and Nero took the opportunity to grab his coat from the hanger and his shirt from the trash can. He grabbed Spike, who was still fantasizing about Rarity, and followed Twilight out the door. "Wasn't she wonderful~?" Spike sat on Twilight's back, still daydreaming. They were now far from the boutique, and had ditched the crazy outfits. Nero had slipped on his own clothes as they walked to their next destination. "If by wonderful, you mean crazy, then yes." Nero said sarcastically. "Focus, Casanova. What's next on the list?" Twilight stirred Spike from his reverie, and he looked down at the checklist. "Oh! Uh, music! It's the last one!" He read. I doubt a sheriff or mayor is gonna be conducting a band, so it seems this was a dead end. At least I got to know the town, along with its crazy residents. Might as well stick around for this last one. They stopped in their tracks when they heard the sound of birds chirping. The odd thing was, they were all chirping in rhythm to a beat, as if singing a song. Nero was fairly certain birds normally don’t do that. Peering over some bushes, the trio saw a pale yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane and a cutie mark of three pink butterflies conducting an orchestra of birds. It actually sounded pretty nice until one of the birds started singing out of rhythm. "Oh my, um, stop please, everyone." The pegasus spoke meekly. She gently flew up to the bird that was out of tune and spoke to it. "Um... excuse me, sir, I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny, tiny bit off." It was a lot more off than that, but I guess she didn't want to be rude. Also, is she talking to a bird? "Now follow me, please." She flew back to her original place to continue with her conducting. "A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three-" "Hello!" "AH!" Twilight had greeted the quiet pony, only to scare both her and her birds. The birds took off and the pegasus turned to the three of them. "Nice one, Twilight." Nero turned to the purple unicorn. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten your birds." Twilight apologized to the poor girl. "We're just here to check up on the music, and it's sounding beautiful!" The pegasus landed on the ground and twiddled with the dirt, averting her gaze. Guess she's the quiet type. Reminds me of Kyrie when we first met. Twilight flashed a nervous, awkward smile, unsure how to respond to her silence. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." The pegasus gave no response. "What's your name?" The unicorn tried to push the conversation along, if you could even call it a conversation. "Um... I'm Fluttershy..." She mumbled, and neither Twilight nor Nero heard what she said. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Twilight asked her to repeat. "Um... my name is Fluttershy..." She mumbled once again. "Didn't quite catch that." Twilight asked her to repeat once again. "...Fluttershy..." This time the pegasus whimpered. ...Okay, nevermind. Even Kyrie wasn't this shy. Poor thing sounds like she's about to cry. Eventually, the birds fluttered back to their perch on the tree. Another awkward silence sat amongst them. "...Well, um, it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!" Twilight finished, and the shy pony whimpered once more. "Ooookay..." She turned and went back the way they came. Well, if that's all of them, I guess I'd better look elsewhere. "Well, that was easy." Twilight said to Spike as he emerged from the bushes. "A BABY DRAGON!" Huh? Nero looked up in time to see the previously quiet pony bump Twilight out of the way to admire Spike. Her personality had done a complete 180 as soon as she laid eyes on him. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before! He's so cute!" She gushed. "Well, well, well!" Spike, enjoying the attention, gave Twilight a cocky smirk. Twilight herself was still dizzy after the pegasus sent her flying. "Oh my, he talks! I didn't know dragons could talk! That's just so incredibly wonderful! I-I just don't even know what to say!" The pegasus hovered above the ground, a bright smile on her face. Before anyone could say anything else, however, Twilight levitated Spike onto her back. Nero once again noticed a hue surrounding both Spike and Twilight's horn, only this time it was magenta. That pretty much confirms it's a unicorn thing. Still need to find out how to do that. "Well, in that case, we better be going." Twilight said quickly as she started to walk away. "Wait, wait! What's his name?" The yellow pony simply followed them. "I'm Spike!" The baby dragon made no attempts to disengage the conversation. "Hi, Spike. I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?" "Well, what do you want to know?" "Absolutely everything!" This caused Twilight to groan, foreseeing just how long this conversation would be. "I'll take that as my cue to leave." Nero said, turning on his hoof. "What!? No, wait! Don't leave me!" Twilight called to him desperately. "Sorry, Twilight, but I told you I've got business to take care of. This was the last stop on the list, and I've wasted enough time already. See ya." With that, the devil hunter gave a final wave back as he left the purple unicorn to her fate. He could hear Spike beginning his long rant as he left. "Well, I started out as a cute little purple and green egg…" It was getting dark, and Nero still had no leads. Where the hell is this damn mayor!? If I didn't know better, I'd say they were hiding from me or something! He kept looking all around until, out of nowhere, he found himself face to face with a smiling, pink face. "GAH!" "GAH! to you too!" The pink pony said. Nero took the time to process the pony that had appeared out of thin air. She was a bright pink pony with a mane and tail of the same color, only a darker hue. The mane and tail themselves were frizzy and poofy, resembling cotton candy. On her flank, he could see her cutie mark was of three balloons, two of which were light blue while the last one was a pale yellow. Her blue eyes bore straight into his own. It didn't take him long to recognize her. "Hey, aren't you the pony from earlier? The one that freaked out when Twilight said hello?" Nero would quickly regret asking that question when she began hopping around spastically and spouting words like a runaway machine gun. "Yup! That's me! I'm Pinkie Pie! You see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? I saw you with that one pony that was all 'Hello?' and then I was all *GASP*, remember? You see, I never saw you before, and if I never saw you before, then that means you’re new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony, in Ponyville! And if you're new, then you haven't met anypony yet, and if you haven't met anypony yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends, then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, and I had an idea! And that's why I went *GASP* I should throw a great, big, ginormous, super-duper, spectacular welcome party and invite everypony in Ponyville! Oh! But you're not supposed to know about that yet, so pretend you didn't hear that, okey-dokey?" Dear God, where's the off button? "Oh! Speaking of which..." The pink pony grabbed Nero by the hoof and sprinted faster than Nero could blink. Before he knew it, they were standing in a different part of town, specifically in front of a tree with a door and windows on it. "Wha- How did-!?" The half-demon didn't even get to ask before the pink pony interrupted him. "Just wait here until the other new pony gets here, then you can come inside!" She then ran inside, slamming the door behind her. The devil hunter blinked. ...What just happened? "...And that's the story of my whole entire life! Well, up until today..." Nero turned around when he heard a familiar voice. He saw Twilight and Spike, both still being followed by the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, if he remembered her name right. It seemed that Spike had just finished regaling Fluttershy with the tale of his life story. "Do you want to hear about today?" The dragon asked. "Oh, yes, please!" The meek pony responded, but Twilight quickly turned around to face her, breaking up their little chat. "Oh, I'm so sorry. How did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville, and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep." She told the pegasus. Wait, so this tree is where Twilight's staying? ...Something tells me she doesn't know about the crazy pony waiting inside. "No I don't- WAH!" Twilight subtly knocked Spike off her back before he could protest. "Aww, wook at that. He's so sweepy, he can't even keep his wittle bawance!" Twilight put on a babyish voice before flashing a smile to Fluttershy, who promptly swept up the baby dragon in her hooves. "Poor thing, you simply must get him to bed!" The shy pony flew him inside, only to quickly be pushed out by Twilight. "Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, good night!" As soon as she finished her sentence, the purple unicorn slammed the door in her face. Jeez, Twilight must be exhausted by now. Little does she know, a certain pink pony is waiting for her in there. "O-Oh, hello, Nero." Fluttershy greeted the devil hunter, having finally taken notice of him. "Hey, Fluttershy. Say, you wouldn't happen to know the name of that pink pony, would you? Y'know, the really energetic one?" "Who, Pinkie Pie?" She asked. So that's her name, huh? Pretty fitting. I think she told me her name already, but she was talking so fast, I barely understood a word she said. "Yeah, I think that's her. Do you know what she-?" The sound of party poppers and noise makers coming from inside the library cut Nero off and startled the both of them. "What the hell's happening in there?" Nero wondered aloud. "L-Language..." "Hm? Sorry, what'd you say?" He asked her. "Oh, n-nothing." She replied meekly. The door to the tree burst open and the pink pony in question popped out and was in front of Nero in a second. "You were supposed to come inside, silly!" She giggled, then turned to Fluttershy. "You too, Fluttershy! You don't wanna miss the party!" Pinkie Pie grabbed both of them by the hoof and pulled them inside. "Whoa, hey!" Nero tried to protest, but the pink pony managed to pull him inside with little effort. This made him put his guard up almost immediately. The fact that this pony managed to overpower a half-demon with ease spoke volumes to her strength. First the speed, now the strength. Could she secretly be a demon? I don't feel any demonic presence coming from her... Nero finally took a look at his surroundings to see the inside of the tree was lined with shelves of books. It was also decorated with streamers, balloons, and confetti. Twilight did mention going to a library earlier. Is that this place? Nero turned to Pinkie pie, only to find that the pink pony had disappeared. He looked around before spotting her giving Twilight the same rant she had given to him. Twilight just looked absolutely done with today. She walked over to the punch bowl and started pouring herself a drink, only it wasn't punch. It was hot sauce. I could say something... but I kinda wanna see how this plays out. "See!? And now you have lots and lots of friends!" The other four ponies they met today, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all gathered around her. While Twilight was sipping from her drink, her face scrunched up, and she seemed to be turning a shade of red as both sweat and tears poured down her face. "Are you all right, sugar cube?" Applejack asked out of concern. Nero swore he saw steam come out of Twilight's ears, and her mane and tail became engulfed in flames before she bolted upstairs. Wow, that looked like something out of a cartoon. "Aww! She's so happy, she's crying!" Pinkie said with a smile. "Actually, I think it was because of this." Nero picked up the bottle of hot sauce and showed it to the others. Pinkie promptly swiped the bottle from his hoof and started... pouring it on a cupcake? Then ate it!? "Whuh? Ish good!" Pinkie spoke with her mouth full. Rolling his eyes, Nero poured himself a drink, making sure he didn't grab the hot sauce by mistake. He then made his way over to a corner of the room and propped himself against the wall, taking a sip from his drink. As Nero stared out amongst the many partygoers in the library, he recalled the day's events, and only one, simple question went through his mind. ...How the hell did I get here? Oh yeah, that's how. He took another sip from his drink before he was approached by five familiar ponies and a baby dragon. "Why hello again, Nero." Rarity was the first to greet him before she looked down at his clothes. "Please excuse me for being so rude, but I simply cannot believe you insisted on wearing those dirty old things!" "Sorry, Rarity, but this is just my style. Besides, they have some sentimental value." The devil hunter smirked before taking another sip from his drink. "Hey, Spike was just telling me about that cool sword on your back. Think you can show me that trick he mentioned?" Rainbow asked eagerly, still flying even indoors. "Eh, I'm not sure it's a good idea to do it in here. There's a lot of people, and I'm pretty sure trees are known to be flammable. Maybe later." He offered. "Speakin' of yer sword, what exactly do ya use it for?" Applejack prodded. "I'm an exterminator of sorts. Use it to deal with some pests." He took another sip. "E-Exterminator!?" Fluttershy gasped. It took Nero a second to realize what about that freaked her out. "N-No, not animals, or anything like that! These pests are... different." "Different how?" Rainbow asked. "It's... complicated. Anyway, speaking of my sword, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to leave the party early, ladies." Nero informed them, placing his drink on a nearby bookshelf. "Aww, really? But you're gonna miss 'Pin the Tail on the Pony'!" Pinkie tried to convince him to stay. "Sorry, but I've got some business to attend to. You can save me a slice a cake, though, okay?" That seemed to raise the pink pony's spirits. "Okey-dokey-lokie!" She sang as Nero began to leave. He was stopped when Pinkie Pie called to him once more. "Ooh! Don't forget to stay up for the Summer Sun Celebration! Everypony will be going to town hall to watch the sunrise! Princess Celestia will be there!" Celestia? So that's the name of their princess? Hmm... Nero wasn't sure he would have time for the celebration, since he'd be busy looking for demons. That is until a thought occurred to him. If anyone's heard about demon sightings, the princess would have to be at the top of the list, right? Maybe that elusive mayor will be there, too. Then again, going by my luck with them so far, the chances of that seem pretty slim. "Sure, I'll be there." He called back, and he could hear the pink pony's cheers as he waded through the crowd and made his way towards the exit. "Come on... focus..." Nero grunted. He was currently standing in an alleyway between two buildings, hidden away from prying eyes. He stared down at Red Queen, attempting to make it float in the air with his mind. If he was going to fight demons, he needed to get some practice with his new body. He had started with some stretches, getting himself more limber. Then, he practiced jumping and dodging. He knew it was smarter to start with those rather than fighting. He wouldn't be able to hit anything if he was already being hit, so being able to avoid attacks was important. Plus, it lowered his chances of dying. After a bit of training, he was performing air hikes and table hoppers like it was second nature, finally getting used to his new body. Next was getting some practice with Red Queen. Honestly, it should be pretty easy thanks to levitation. He should be able to just think where he wants the sword to swing, and it will swing in that direction. Blue Rose would be even easier; just point and shoot, no skill required. The hard part was actually learning how to levitate them. "C'mon...hrrrrrghh!" *Toot!* ... The devil hunter sighed as he let the tension leave his body. There had to be a better way to do this. "I must say, this is rather sad to watch." Nero blinked upon hearing a familiar voice. He scanned the alleyway for the draconequus, but found no one. When he looked down at Red Queen, however, he saw a familiar pair of mismatched eyes and a one-fanged mouth on it. "What the...!?" Nero recoiled upon seeing Discord's face morphed into his sword. In a flash, the face disappeared and the draconequus appeared next to him, this time with his full body. "How did you-? You know what, nevermind. What are you doing here?" The half-demon asked. "Why, I came to congratulate you, my dear boy! You've learned quite a bit about this world in such a short span off time! You even figured out that you can use levitation!" "Yeah, no thanks to you." He scoffed. "How rude! Here I am, taking the time out of my day to give you praise, and all you have are more complaints! I suppose if you don't want a small tip on levitation, then I'll just take my leave-" "No! Wait! Please!" Nero begged and Discord stopped mid-snap. "Oh, now you want my help?" "I've wanted your help since the beginning!" The draconequus sighed before giving his full attention to Nero. "You've been trying to move your sword with your mind this entire time. You need to focus with your horn, not your head." Nero took his words into consideration as he looked back to his sword before another question popped into his head. "What time is it?" He looked up towards the moon. "It doesn't look like the moon has moved at all..." Now that he looks at it closer, he can see a shadow on the moon that looks kind of like a pony. The hell...? "That's because it hasn't moved." Wait, what? Nero broke his focus with the moon and faced the draconequus. "The sun and the moon work a bit differently here than they do on Earth. You already heard about Princess Celestia, correct?" The devil hunter nodded. "Well, unlike on Earth, the sun and the moon are raised manually by the princesses. When morning comes, they raise the sun and lower the moon, and when night falls, they raise the moon and lower the sun." How the hell does that work? ...Wait... "Princesses? I thought there was only one?" Nero questioned. "Oh, whoopsies! That's a bit of a spoiler! Pay it no mind, as I'm sure you'll find out what it means soon enough." Discord reassured him. "Changing topics, you've had quite the interesting day, haven't you?" "Yeah, you could say that..." Nero once again recalled the day's events. "...And you met six rather interesting ponies, didn't you?" The descendant of Sparda paused at those words. "...What about them?" "Oh, nothing. I just figured I should let you know, those six are a lot more important than you realize. Even if they do not yet know it themselves. With that, I bid you adieu." Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared once again, leaving Nero to his thoughts. He listed off each of the six ponies in his head: A farmer, a tomboy, a fashion designer, two anti-social people, one extremely shy and the other just hates people, and finally... whatever the hell Pinkie Pie was. They were all certainly... unique individuals, but he wasn't sure how any of them could be important enough to warrant keeping an eye on. ...Focus with my horn, huh? Just as Discord told him, Nero poured all his focus into his horn. Once he did, he was welcomed with a feeling that he couldn't even try to explain. He held on to that feeling, then put his focus back on Red Queen. Before he knew it, the sword was floating in the air right before his eyes, surrounded by a deep sky-blue hue. He gave the sword a few swings, and even revved it a couple times, staring in awe at his new power. He focused on Blue Rose next, levitating it out of its holster. He twirled it around a bit and looked down the sight, aiming it at empty air. Nero took note that despite the fact that the weapons were floating in mid-air, gravity was still in effect. He could somehow feel the weight of the sword and gun in his magical grip. After a few seconds, he was swinging Red Queen around just like he always did. He couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face. He was finally back in action! His attention snapped to the alleyway's exit when he heard the clopping of hooves. He peered around the corner to see ponies gathering around the town hall. Must be time. Let's go meet this princess. Nero entered the town hall and found a crowd of ponies, all standing in the large room where they first met Rarity. Everyone was talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Well, everyone except a certain pink pony, who was speaking at a volume much louder than an inside voice. "Isn't this exciting!? Are you excited? 'Cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited! Well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went *GASP* but I mean really, who can top that?" She appeared to be chatting up Twilight. Jeez, does that girl ever stop to take a breath? He walked up next to them and gave them a nod. "Hey, you made it! I'm so glad you were able to make it! Did you take care of that business you said you needed to take care of?" Pinkie Pie had invaded his personal space in less than a second. "Yeah, I'm good to go, now. When this is over, I'll need to talk to the princess." He told her. "Princess Celestia? What do you need to talk to her for?" Twilight spoke up. "I need to ask her if anyone's seen any of the pests I'm looking for. I was planning to ask the mayor, but I can't seem to find her anywhere." He responded just as Fluttershy's birds started to sing, notifying everyone that the celebration was about to start. "Hey! Isn't that her on the stage?" Pinkie pointed to the stage as a spotlight shown down on a light brown, older looking pony wearing glasses and a cravat. "Fillies and gentlecolts! As mayor of Ponyville,-" And just where the hell have you been!? "-It is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" the entire audience cheered at the declaration. "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!" Out of the corner of his eye, Nero saw Twilight looking up at the night sky, clearly worried about something. He followed her gaze towards the moon and was shocked to see four of the stars moving behind the moon, then the shadow that looked like a pony vanishing in a flash. This seemed to make Twilight even more worried. I'm guessing whatever that is isn't a good thing. Seeing how Twilight reacted to it, I'd wager she knows something about it. "And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..." The mayor continued, and the crowd kept getting more and more excited. "...Princess Celestia!" On the balcony above, Fluttershy's birds sang as Rarity pulled down on a rope, drawing the curtains back to reveal... ...Nothing. Everyone in the crowd began murmuring in a mix of shock and confusion. "This can't be good..." Nero heard Twilight say from beside him. "Remain calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation!" The mayor tried to keep things under control. Pinkie Pie, either out of innocence or just plain ignorance, began hopping up and down with glee. "Ooh! Ooh! I LOVE guessing games! Is she hiding?" She began scanning every inch of the room, even the ceiling. My guess is she either she got backed up on the toilet or something and missed her cue, or something really bad is about to go down. "She's gone!" Rarity called from atop the balcony, and the entire crowd gasped. "Ooh, she's good!" Pinkie praised before letting out a yelp as a cloud of blue smoke formed on the balcony. I'm gonna assume it's the latter. "Oh no!" Twilight whispered next to him. The smoke cloud grew bigger before transforming into a large, black pony in armor. Her mane and tail looked like they were made out of the night sky, and her pupils were formed into slits. Probably the most striking thing about her was that she had both a horn and wings. "Nightmare Moon!" Twilight finished. Nightmare who? Spike fainted and fell off of Twilight's back. The purple unicorn didn't seem to notice, too busy staring at the strange pony that had crashed the party. I don't feel any demonic energy coming from her, so she's not a demon... but I feel something else... something sinister... "Oh, my beloved subjects, it's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces." She addressed the whole audience. "What did you do with our princess!?" Rainbow demanded, and was about to charge the new pony if Applejack hadn't grabbed her tail with her mouth. "Slow down, nelly!" She spoke through grit teeth. The dark pony simply laughed. "Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?" She glared. "Ooh, ooh! More guessing games! Umm, Hokey Smokes! How 'bout, Queen Meanie? No... Black Snooty, Black Snooty-!" Pinkie was cut off when Applejack shoved an apple in her mouth, and 'Black Snooty' continued her speech. "Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for 1,000 years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" "I did!" Everyone turned to Twilight once she spoke up. "And I know who you are! You're the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon!" The crowd collectively gasped, and 'Nightmare Moon' looked amused. Personally, Nero preferred Black Snooty. "Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here?" She challenged. "You're here to... to..." Twilight stammered before gulping. Black Snooty laughed once again. Alright, enough of this. "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last! From this moment forth, the night... will last... FOREV-!" *BANG!* *CLANG!* Nightmare Moon was cut off when something collided with her helmet, stunning her. It took her a second to process that something, or someone, had just hit her. "WHO DARES TO STRIKE ME!?" Her voice boomed across the entire hall. Everyone turned to the source of the loud bang and saw Nero levitating Blue Rose, smoke pouring out of the barrel. "C'mon, lady, haven't you heard? No one likes a party crasher." He smirked, not even a hint of fear in his eyes. "WHO. ARE. YOU!?" She seethed. "I'm an exterminator. While you may not be like the usual pests I deal with, I'd say you qualify enough for me to get involved." He holstered Blue Rose. Nightmare Moon blanched. This puny mortal, a mere child, just called her a pest!? And without batting an eye!? "Insolent child! You shall pay for your words!" She promised him. "Yeah, yeah, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that. Is that supposed to be intimidating... Black Snooty?" The pure rage Nightmare Moon felt in that moment was indescribable. This little worm continued to humiliate her in front of her subjects! Even so, she could tell he was not to be underestimated. She could sense the power coursing through his veins from where she stood. This was no ordinary pony. "Hope you're ready..." The devil hunter levitated Red Queen off his back, spun it around a couple times, then stabbed it into the ground, revving its engine. "... 'Cause I'm taking you down, bitch!" "Language!" Some kiss-ass called out from the crowd. "Hmph. I'd like to see you try, for I promise you..." Nightmare moon addressed the crowd once again. "... From this moment forth, the night... will last... FOREVER!" She let out another evil laugh as lightning crashed around her. Nero launched himself into the air towards her, Red Queen at the ready. By the time he reached her, however, he swung at nothing but air. Nightmare Moon had turned into a cloud of blue smoke once again and flew out through the main entrance, escaping into the night. Nero stood on the balcony, looking at where Nightmare Moon had once been standing. This job just got a whole lot more interesting.