Part 1 - Chapter 13: A Game of Kings and Devils
It was a relatively early morning for Twilight Sparkle as she got herself up around 6 AM and made her way out the door, letting Spike sleep in for a while. The small purple dragon had worn himself out staying up into the late hours of the night helping Twilight finish rearranging the entire library. It was no small task, but they were both more than elated to have finished it all in one evening.
“First order of business for today,” Twilight said to herself as she levitated a scroll from her saddle bag and began to unravel it using her magic. “’Inform Dante and AppleJack about the Princesses’ upcoming visit’,” she read aloud from the list. “Check.” Twilight smiled as she levitated a quill out of her bag to mark off the first item off her daily schedule while trotting her way through town.
After about half an hour of reading over the checklist while following the path leading out of Ponyville, Twilight had finally reached her destination; Sweet Apple Acres. She then approached the front door, knocking politely as she waited on the front porch. After seconds of silence, Granny Smith had opened the door to welcome the lavender unicorn in.
“Howdy there, Twilight,” said Granny Smith before shutting the door behind her. “Come to join us for breakfast I take it?”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m just here to talk to AppleJack and Dante if that’s alright.”
“Sure there, sweetie,” Granny Smith replied cheerfully. “They’re in the kitchen with Big Mac and AppleBloom.”
Thanking the old mare, Twilight made her way into the kitchen to see Dante, AppleJack, Big Mac and AppleBloom all sitting at the table, partaking in a morning meal of waffles.
“Howdy Twilight!” AppleBloom greeted in her enthusiastic but ever adorable southern drawl as the lavender mare walked up to the table to bid Dante and the Apples a good morning.
“Hey there, AppleBloom.” Twilight replied happily. “I take it Dante’s been behaving himself?” she asked sarcastically noticing a few bandages on the demon hunter, who was currently engaged with a mouthful of waffles.
“Aw, no worries about that, Twi,” butted in AppleJack. “Dante might not be the most responsible stallion, but at least he’s trying. Right Big Mac?”
“Eeyup.” agreed the large red stallion
“But how’d you get those injuries, though?” Twilight asked as she walked up next to Dante who was keeping quiet the whole time, trying to enjoy his breakfast. He sighed after swallowing a mouthful of waffles, and looked up to answer the inquisitive unicorn.
“Rabid tree attack,” he replied sarcastically. “Almost didn’t get out of that orchard alive.”
AppleBloom stifled a giggle as Twilight glowered at the light yellow coated stallion, not amused by his sense of humor.
“Aw don’t mind him,” AppleJack giggled lightly. “Dante’s just funnin’ with ya, Twi. If you’re so concerned with what happened, though, Dante just happened to have gotten himself in a tussle with his brother yesterday is all.”
“He what?!” Twilight blurted out in shock. “I thought we agreed to keep those two separated. I’m sure Fluttershy was supposed to be keeping an eye on Vergil while he was over here yesterday, wasn’t she?”
“Well about that.” AppleJack started.
“Oh calm down,” Dante interrupted. “Vergil probably walked off from Fluttershy with some lame excuse. It’s not her or AppleJack’s fault from the sound of it.”
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh.
“C’mon, AppleBloom,” Big Mac said getting up from the table and leading the small filly out of the kitchen, sensing the tension in the air between his sister and her friends. “Ah think it’s time we got you off to school.”
“Ah guess so.” AppleBloom said reluctantly as she followed her older brother out of the kitchen.
When the room was clear, Twilight had decided to pick up the conversation, while Dante continued to chomp away at his breakfast.
“Dante, we can’t keep this up,” she explained with genuine concern. “I thought the girls and I made it perfectly clear that you two would at least try and not fight each other while you were here. It’s only been two days since that party and already you and Vergil are at it again. Not to mention there’s only two days left until the princesses arrive to meet both of you!”
“Wait a minute!” AppleJack spoke up. “Ya mean both Celestia and Luna are coming here to meet Dante and his brother? When did ya find out about this?”
“Just yesterday,” Twilight answered. “Princess Celestia sent me the letter last afternoon informing me that she and Princess Luna will be arriving at the Library the day after tomorrow to meet them.”
“Nice,” Dante said with a mouthful of waffles. “Always wanted to meet royalty.”
“Well ain’t that somethin’,” AppleJack smirked. “Guess you’ll be headin’ home sooner than you expected huh, Dante?”
“Not if he and Vergil make another scene,” Twilight chimed in. “Especially in front of the princesses. Who knows what Celestia and Luna will do if they find out just exactly how dangerous those two are around each other?”
“Didn’t cha tell them about the incident at Sugarcube corner, though?” AppleJack asked.
“I might have skimped on the details a little,” Twilight answered honestly. “But that’s not really important now. What matters is that Dante and Vergil make a good impression with the princesses.”
After finishing his syrup soaked breakfast, Dante spoke up. “You know, Twilight, for someone so smart, you sure worry a lot.”
“Why shouldn’t I be worried?!” Twilight snapped. “My best friends are housing two supposed demon hunters who can’t go so much as a day without trying to kill each other!”
“Heh heh, you’re kinda cute when you’re angry.” Dante chuckled as he rested his chin on his hoof.
“I..uh..I am?” she asked suddenly blushing at the demon hunter's oddly timed compliment.
“Yeah. Hell, you remind me of a good friend back in my world, short temper and all; only difference is you’re not trying to pump me full of lead every five minutes.” Dante trailed off, suddenly remembering Lady. Come to think of it, I wonder how she’s doing with me gone, the devil pony pondered. Sure hope she can hold up the shop for a few more days…ah, what am I saying? Of course she can. She’ll probably charge me a fortune, though.
“Anyways,” Twilight started, ignoring Dante’s rambling comparisons. “Can you promise me that you’ll try and stay out of trouble until the princesses arrive? It’s just two days at the least so I’m expecting both you and Vergil to avoid any sort of violent outbreak.”
“I don’t know…Do I get a prize for good behavior?” he asked with a grin.
AppleJack then socked him on the shoulder with her forehoof.
“Ok ok. I’ll behave.”
“Glad to hear it,” Twilight responded. “Well I best get going. Still need to make preparations for the princesses’ visit.”
“Well then have a good morning Twi. And thanks for lettin’ us know about Celestia and Luna.” AppleJack said as Twilight made her way out the front door.
“You too, AppleJack and no problem,” she called back. “And I expect Dante to be on his best behavior from now on.”
Dante merely scoffed at her comment as he rolled his eyes.
“Will do, Twi.” AppleJack answered back before closing the front door. Once Twilight had left the farm, she then turned to Dante who was still sitting at the table, lazily looking outside where Twilight had departed.
“Guess we better get to work, eh, Dante?”
“Might as well,” he yawned before jumping onto all fours. “Lead the way, AJ.”
The two then made their way out the front door and began their trek through the apple orchard with wagon and buckets in tow, ready for another arduous, work filled day.
Later that day at Fluttershy’s Cottage, Vergil had just finished the first volume of Equestria’s history before closing the text and setting it firmly on the table next to the geography book. Having finally noticed the time, he saw that the clock in Fluttershy’s living room read approximately 9:00 AM. He then proceeded to stand up off the couch, where his blue coat was draped over one side next to his blade that was leaning against the arm of the couch. Silently, he walked over to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, until he heard a soft voice call out from behind him.
“Good morning, Vergil,” greeted Fluttershy with an exceptionally enthusiastic yawn. From the sound of it, one could conclude she had a good night’s sleep, which was more than Vergil could say for himself. “Did you manage to get any sleep last night?”
“Frankly, no I didn’t.” Vergil stated before getting a glass out of the cabinet and filling it with water from the faucet. “I was too preoccupied with my readings.” he said after taking a few gulps of water.
“Oh my, you must be exhausted,” Fluttershy said worriedly. “You should at least rest a bit after such a long night. I just can’t believe you pushed yourself to finish that whole book.”
“Please,” Vergil said, raising his hoof in a gesture to dismiss Fluttershy’s concerns. “I’m quite alright. It’ll take a lot more than a day without sleep for fatigue to even come close to setting in. Besides I plan on completing my studies later today. If I recall, Twilight Sparkle informed me that she would have the second volume ready for me to pick up today.”
“Well at least let me get you some coffee,” Fluttershy urged. “Just in case you’re feeling a bit groggy.”
“If you insist,” Vergil said as he adjusted his vest. “You are the host after all.”
Fluttershy silently nodded as she trotted past the light grey stallion, making her way to a small cupboard where she had pulled out a bag of coffee grounds. The yellow mare then went to pour the grounds into the coffee filter while Vergil decided to take a seat at the kitchen table while the coffee brewed. After finishing the preparations, Fluttershy filled the small tea kettle on her stove with the right amount of water before heating the burner to make her morning tea.
“So how do you like Ponyville so far?” Fluttershy asked while searching through a cabinet for a coffee mug.
“It’s a decent place,” Vergil admitted. “Although I do find the overly friendly atmosphere rather uncomfortable most of the time; never was one for excessive social interaction.”
“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, feeling disheartened by Vergil’s blatant honesty. “Umm… I… do I make you feel uncomfortable?”
“Hmm?”
Fluttershy weakly fumbled her explanation. “I’m just wondering is all, because I really don’t want you to think that I’m smothering you or anything.”
“No. you don’t.” Vergil stated, calming the nervous pegasus.
“Really?” Fluttershy asked with a hopeful smile.
“Of course. I find your company and hospitality to be a very welcome experience. Besides, you’d be the first to know if I found your company disagreeable in any manner.”
“Thank you,” Fluttershy replied joyfully. “It really means a lot you think so.”
Before their conversation could continue any further, the tea kettle let out a high pitched whistle, signaling that the water was ready to brew the tea. After a few minutes of silence and preparation, Fluttershy had made her way towards the table with a small cup of tea for herself and a mug of fresh hot coffee for Vergil.
“Care for any sugar or cream?” Fluttershy asked courteously, passing the steaming mug to Vergil.
“No thank you. Its fine the way it is.” Vergil answered as he took a sip of the strong black brew. The aroma wafting from the coffee mug was intoxicating enough as it was, but the strong bitter taste was more than enough to relieve him of any sort of lethargy he may have been feeling previously.
Having seated herself across from Vergil, Fluttershy began making small talk with the quiet stallion once again.
“So…” Fluttershy began as she sat her teacup down. “Anything else planned after you get the book you were looking for from Twilight?”
“Not really. I’m simply just making the best use of my time while I’m here,” Vergil answered, holding the mug of hot coffee just below his mouth. “And reading up on this land’s history seems to be the only worthwhile activity from what I've experienced.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, looking down at her tea. However she happened to remember what Vergil said yesterday about his stay being possibly longer than a simple three days. She then looked up excitedly with a new resolve before speaking up.
“Well, if you happen to finish that book before you leave, if you want, perhaps you and I could go someplace nice. It doesn’t have to be Ponyville, but maybe we could do something to take your mind off the stress: like a picnic -- or just go for a walk if that’s ok with you.”
Vergil raised his brow at the offer, taking time to consider the possibilities of just what he would do to pass the time should his departure be delayed. There was always that, but honestly he didn’t see any need for such a drastic venture for the time being. Having silently contemplated every possibility of what to do while lightly swirling his coffee, Vergil then set his mug down and looked up at Fluttershy.
“I might as well,” he stated. “I don’t have anything better to do after completing my studies here, so I’m more than willing to accept your offer.”
“You really mean it?!” Fluttershy piped up excitedly.
“Yes. You raised an excellent point about relieving stress and considering the more I focus on leaving, the longer the hours seem to pass.”
Fluttershy let out a small giggle at his ever formal response. “Well you know what they say,” Fluttershy said cheerfully. “A watched pot never boils.”
“Quite.” Vergil nodded, returning to his drink.
Just then, a series of soft knocks sounded from the front door.
“I’ll get it.” Fluttershy said while trotting towards the door.
As she opened the front door, she was met with an enthusiastic greeting from Rarity.
“Good morning, Fluttershy darling!” spoke the graceful pale white unicorn.
“Oh hi, Rarity,” Fluttershy responded, opening the door wider to invite her friend in. “How goes the dressmaking?”
“Just peachy,” Rarity answered as she stepped through the front door and made her way to the kitchen with Fluttershy. As they entered, Rarity saw Vergil sitting at the table hovering over his coffee. “Oh hello there, Vergil. I see that the vest I made still looks marvelous on you.”
“Morning.” Vergil replied.
I see he’s not one for idle chat, Rarity thought to herself. “By the way, Fluttershy, I almost forgot to ask you.”
“Ask me what?” the yellow pegasus asked as Rarity could barely contain her smile.
“Today’s our spa day and I was coming back to see if you were still accompanying me.”
“Of course, Rarity. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Fluttershy smiled.
“Glad to hear, darling, but I also think we should ask Vergil if he’d care to join us as well. How about it Vergil? With all that’s been going on around you and Dante I figured you could use a nice relaxing treatment. How about it?”
“No thank you. I have other matters to attend to today.”
“I see,” Rarity muttered somewhat discouraged.
“You sure you don’t want to go?” Fluttershy asked trying to persuade the stallion.
“I’m positive.” Vergil said raising his voice slightly to make his point.
It was then that Angel Bunny came hopping into the kitchen and made his way towards Fluttershy, making a gesture to display he was hungry.
“Oh, of course I’ll feed you, Angel,” Fluttershy cooed, patting the small rabbits head. “Besides, I need to tend to the other critters before Rarity and I leave.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Vergil said, stopping Fluttershy from leaving the kitchen.
“Huh?”
“Don’t forget that I offered to help tend the house during my stay here,” he then stood up. “Just show me where the animal food is and I’ll handle it from there.”
“Are you sure about that?” Fluttershy asked, amazed that somepony had offered to care for her animals, especially on their own accord.
“Yes, I said I would help and so I shall. Besides, it’ll help take my mind off the waning hours that seem to drearily pass on by.”
“My my, quite the gentlecolt you’re housing there, Fluttershy,” Rarity commented to her winged friend with an impressed look.
“Are you sure it won’t be too much trouble?” Fluttershy asked, not wanting to impose.
“It’s quite alright; hardly an interference on my part. I’ll simply retrieve the book from the library once I’m done here.”
Fluttershy looked at Rarity who was nodding in approval. She then proceeded to guide Vergil over to a small cabinet in the back of the kitchen where she kept a few burlap sacks of animal feed, along with neatly stacked food bowls of various sizes. “Just be sure to spread the bowls out in the living room and fill them with a generous amount of feed please.” she instructed.
“And for the rabbit?” Vergil asked, looking down at the scowling, long-eared rodent.
“Ah, Angel. Well I tend to give him a bowl of fresh chopped lettuce with a few cucumbers. Also, make sure he doesn’t eat too many carrots, please.”
“Seems simple enough,” Vergil then grabbed the bag of feed from under the cabinet. “Anything else?”
“No no. That’s about it, but thank you soooo much for doing this for me. It truly means a lot that you’d be so generous to help,” Fluttershy smiled at the grey stallion. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome.” Vergil said as he toted the burlap sack across his shoulder into the living room.
Fluttershy and Rarity proceeded to make their way out the door with the white unicorn taking the lead.
“Ta-ta, Vergil. Thank you ever so much for helping Fluttershy,” Rarity waved as Fluttershy joined in on the gesture. “Let’s hurry, Fluttershy, I hear Aloe and Lotus have a new seaweed wrap that I’ve just been dying to try.”
“Have a good day.” Fluttershy said before closing the door behind her as she left with Rarity.
A few minutes after their departure, Vergil had managed to neatly organize all of the feeding bowls across the living room along with filling them up with perfectly mounded hills of feed. Before he could return the feedbag back to its origin, Vergil was met with an empty bowl being held up just a few inches short of his face. He then looked down to see the disgruntled and hungry rabbit expectantly holding out his bowl.
“You are in no position to be making demands, you rodent.” Vergil grumbled as he reached into the fridge and retrieved some carrots, lettuce and cucumbers along with a knife from the cabinet drawer. He then snatched the bowl from angel with one hoof as he began chopping up the vegetables into fine slices with the other. If there was one thing Vergil prided himself on, it was his handling of blades and melee weapons. After all, a true warrior should be able to rely on tools as sharp and powerful as his cunning and wit rather than mediocre man made firearms like his brother Dante did. He always was the dull blade when it came to outright swordsmanship, Vergil thought to himself before his carefully crafted preparations were interrupted by the irritating sound of Angel thumping his hind paw on the wooden floor repeatedly as he anxiously waited for his meal, his arms crossed in irritation.
Vergil only sneered before carefully dispensing the contents of Angels’ meal into the bowl. “If it weren’t for your owner, I’d have made you into a stew by now,” he commented as he sat the bowl down before the obnoxious rabbit. “Then again, now that I think of it, something as foul as you would make for a terrible meal.”
Angel didn’t take too kindly to the snide remark, and threw one of his cucumbers at Vergil who simply dodged it with a swift tilt of his head as he left the kitchen. As Vergil entered living room, he was met with a peculiar sight. Animals of all different species of mice, squirrels, chipmunks and ferrets filled Fluttershy's living room, feasting from the bowls of food he had laid out on the floor.
Suddenly, the animals all looked to him with both curious and cautionary stares. Vergil simply raised a brow in response, causing the critters to quickly turn away and return to their meal, not wanting to make eye contact with the devil pony any longer. Vergil let out a small chuckle at their reaction before turning towards the couch where he reached for his azure coat and placed it on to his liking, snapping the few coat buttons on the sleeve. He then reached for his blade which he had holstered back into one of the belt straps of his coat as he made his way out the house with the first volume of the history of Equestria packed in the saddle bag Twilight had loaned him. Vergil then shut the door behind him, having finished Fluttershy’s morning task. He began to walk along the path towards Ponyville with one objective in mind: retrieving the second volume of Equestria’s history.
The morning sun was looming high as Dante continually bucked a rather stubborn apple tree that had relinquished all but one of its apples.
“Hmph.” Dante snorted looking up at the single apple that had clung to its exact spot. “Fine then. We’ll do this my way.”
Dante then slowly began walking away, only to snap back and take off at full speed, charging straight towards the tree. Just before he made contact, he then shifted his weight upwards as his forehoof pressed against the trunk of the tree. In an instant, Dante had begun running up the apple tree, then proceeded to back flip, landing hindhooves first on the nearest tree branch. Using the momentum from his jump, Dante then launched himself off the branch towards the apple just above him. With a well timed bite, he had grabbed the apple with his mouth as he soared above the branch on which it was attached to before grabbing the nearest branch with his forehooves and flipped himself upon said branch, landing upright on his back legs.
“Heh,” he chucked, leaning against the top of the tree as he spit out the apple into his hoof. “Guess I’m finally getting my juices flowing again.” Dante said before biting into the deep red apple.
“Pretty darn impressive,” complimented a raspy but effeminate voice.
Before Dante could look around for the source, Rainbow Dash had swooped in from above a low hanging cloud to greet Dante at the top of the tree. “I see you’re having a fun time at work.”
“I guess you could say that. Then again there’s not much to do around here,” Dante commented as he bit into the apple once more.
“Still though, I gotta say those were some pretty sweet moves.”
“Ya think so, huh?” Dante asked before front flipping off the tree branch and landing on his back legs flat on the ground.
“Ok, now I think you’re just trying to show off,” Rainbow Dash laughed as she hovered down in front of Dante.
“Maybe I am,” Dante shrugged. “By the way, Rainbow Dash was it?”
“Yeah, that’s right, Dante.” she confirmed proudly.
“Nice. So what brings you out here?”
“Not much,” Rainbow Dash said. “I was just catching some Zs when I heard you making a one pony show outta yourself down here.”
“Wait. You were napping? Where?” Dante asked looking around.
“Up in the clouds, silly,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew up to land softly on one of the clouds to show Dante.
“How the hell did you do that?”
“Well, I’m a pegasus,” Rainbow Dash explained, hovering both herself and the cloud she was standing on downwards towards Dante. “We have a natural magic for being able to control weather. Meaning we can literally sit on the clouds. We even have an entire city up in the sky called Cloudsdale.”
Dante merely looked at his back to see that he in fact had no wings and had already arrived to a somewhat disheartening conclusion. “Guessing earth ponies don’t really pay much of a visit up in the mile high club huh?”
“Not really,” Rainbow Dash answered. “Unless you have a certain kind of magic to help you out.”
Dante then began to open his mouth, but was cut off.
“And before you ask, the answer is no. Earth ponies aren’t really specialized in magic as well. That'd be the unicorns' area of expertise.”
“Luck of the draw I guess,” Dante scoffed as he finished the apple he had retrieved from the tree.
“Oh don’t be like that,” Rainbow Dash said trying to comfort the demon hunter. “I’m pretty sure Twilight can help you with that. She’s quite the egghead when it comes to stuff like this. Besides she already has a spell for something like that. Speaking of which, you doing anything later?”
“Not really,” Dante answered as he began walking back to the apple cart he was tending. “That is unless you’re asking me out for a night on the town.” he said as he snapped around with a wide and charming grin.
“Please,” Rainbow Dash scoffed rolling her eyes. “Just askin’ if you wanna hang out later. Maybe go to Sugar Cube Corner or the park? I’d be happy to show you around.”
“Hmm, I guess I could if I’m not too busy.” Dante answered trying to act indifferent towards Rainbow Dash’s offer.
“Cool. I’ll stop by later once you’re done with work.”
“Works for me,” Dante said as he began to trot back to his wagon loaded with apples. “Seeya this afternoon then.”
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Rainbow Dash began, hovering in front of Dante. “Just what in the hay happened to you?” She asked pointing at the bandages wrapped around Dante’s torso under his coat along with the bandage around his forehead.
“Oh this?” Dante asked placing a hoof on his head.
“Yeah, that.”
“Rabid tree attack,” he answered with a grin.
Vergil had arrived at the library about half an hour after he left Fluttershy’s house and was welcomed in by an exceptionally cheerful Twilight. As he entered the tree house, he could deduce the cause of Twilight’s cheerful demeanor. The once messy archive of books from last night was now neatly adjusted, dusted and categorized appropriately.
“Guess you came for volume 2 huh?” asked Twilight catching Vergil’s attention.
“Yes. Did you manage to find it?”
“Why yes in fact I did,” Twilight answered. “I actually have it placed upstairs seeing how you needed me to hold it for you. Just give me a second to fetch it for you and I’ll be right back down.”
Twilight trotted up the stairs and disappeared behind the door, leaving Vergil alone in the library. Having nothing else to do he decided to take a look around. Around the center table he found a few stacks of parchment neatly placed next to a quill that was still dribbled in ink and on one of the sheets of paper read an incomplete letter addressed to Princess Celestia.
Before Vergil could finish reading, Spike approached him out of curiosity causing Vergil to snap away from the letter.
“Whatcha doin’ Vergil?” the small dragon asked.
Vergil then looked down to address him, “Simply reading what appears to be letter to the Princess.” he answered.
“Oh that?” Spike asked as he looked up on the table. “That’s one of Twilight’s friendship reports.”
“Friendship reports?” Vergil repeated incredulously.
“Yeah, Twilight and her friends have to occasionally write out reports to the princess on what they learned about friendship, and then I send them off,” Spike went on to explain.
Vergil was more or less at a loss for words upon hearing the small dragon’s explanation.
“Eh, I’m sure Twilight will tell you more about it,” Spike said, dismissing Vergil’s puzzled look. “Speaking of which, here she comes.”
From the top of the stairs, Twilight trotted down into the foyer while holding the second volume of Equestria’s history in her magical aura. “Got it,” she said as she levitated the book over to Vergil, who was currently standing at the center table.
“Thank you,” Vergil said before taking the book and sliding it into his saddle bag.
“So, what was it you and Spike were talking about?” Twilight asked as her assistant waddled out of the room.
“He was telling me about your friendship reports,” Vergil answered, his brow still raised at the thought of such a concept.
“Oh, what would you like to know?” Twilight asked.
“Well for starters, exactly why are you ordered to write about such a trivial subject matter to someone of such a royal and prestigious air?” Vergil asked.
“Well for one thing, it’s not as trivial as you make it out to be,” Twilight answered, somewhat offended by Vergil’s remark. “Secondly, the reason why is because Princess Celestia requested that we do what we can to learn about friendship, so as to better both ourselves and those around us.”
How ridiculous, and utterly abhorrent, Vergil thought to himself, disgusted by such a rather absurd explanation. However, he decided to keep his opinions to himself for the moment and simply replied “Well that explains that.”
“Umm, anything else you need to ask?” Twilight asked nervously, noticing Vergil's irritation.
“Actually yes, I do have a few questions,” Vergil said, pulling out the first volume of The History of Equestria. “Would you care to explain what these Elements of Harmony are? Whatever they may be, they seem to have served a valuable purpose in Celestia’s and Luna's ruling, along with stopping the lunar princesses’ rebellion a little over a thousand years ago.”
“Wow, you really steamed through that book, didn’t you?” Twilight asked, impressed by Vergil’s detailed knowledge of its contents. “But, to answer your question about the elements of harmony, it’s a rather complicated subject.”
“Please, don’t patronize me. All I require is an explanation and an understanding of these elements since the first volume was quite vague on the subject.
“Well, if you must know, the elements of harmony are six elements that I and my friends possess.”
“Come again?” Vergil raised his brow.
“You see,” Twilight started. “A little less than a year ago, Princess Luna broke free from her thousand year imprisonment on the moon and returned to bring eternal night to Equestria as Nightmare Moon.”
“A sort of revenge, I take it?” Vergil asked.
“Yes, a rather bitter sibling feud to say the least.”
“Hmph,” Vergil grunted. “Continue.”
“Well, it turned out that we needed the elements of harmony to stop Nightmare Moon’s plan and along the way to retrieve the elements, the girls and I all discovered that each of us embodied the essence of each of the elements of harmony.”
“Which were?”
“AppleJack was the element of honesty, Rarity was generosity, Pinkie Pie embodied laughter, Fluttershy’s was kindness, Rainbow Dash’s was loyalty and after learning theirs I found out that my element was magic.”
Well it seems that these elements are certainly unobtainable by physical means. Then again I hardly see any use for them considering that such things would only hinder my progress for Sparda’s power, Vergil thought to himself.
Twilight then continued her story, noticing Vergil was still paying attention. “Well after we awakened each of our elements, only then were we able to exorcise Nightmare Moon’s grasp on Princess Luna in which she was no longer corrupted by her desire to reign over her sister, Princess Celestia. And that’s about it. Each of the girls and I embody the elements of harmony which help maintain order and peace throughout Equestria.”
“Rather impressive,” Vergil admitted honestly. “To be entrusted with such power must serve as quite the burden for both you and your friends.”
“It has its ups and downs to be honest.” Twilight blushed. “Like what happened with Discord.”
“Discord?”
“Yes, Discord, God of Chaos.” Twilight explained. “He was rather troublesome to deal with, even with the elements. I’m sure you’ll find more on him and more on the elements in volume two. If you want you can relax here for awhile while you read.”
“I think I’ll do just that,” Vergil said, now even more intrigued by Twilight and her friends along with the mechanations of this world. He then seated himself at the center table of the library where he opened up the second volume of Equestria’s history while Twilight trotted off to her room with the incomplete letter she had to finish.
“If you need anything feel free to let either me or Spike know.” Twilight said from the top of the stairs.
Vergil didn’t reply as he was already engrossed in the first pages of the history book as Twilight closed her bedroom door behind her.
Friendship Reports, Elements of Harmony, Gods and Goddesses, even a Gateway to Tartarus. This world holds both ridiculous yet intriguing aspects to say the least. Hmph if I had any stake in such a world I just might find a way to exploit this knowledge, Vergil thought to himself as he flipped to the next page before continuing his studies.
Hours seemed to fly by as Vergil thoroughly read through the abridged history book. It was around 4 in the afternoon by the time he had finished. Taking a deep breath, he gently closed the book and slid it to the opposite side of the table. It seems Twilight wasn’t exaggerating about her and her friends accomplishments, Vergil thought to himself as he recalled the very last few pages of the book that chronicled the events of Nightmare Moon’s return along with Discord’s release from his stone prison. There was even a rather recent recollection of the Canterlot Royal Wedding involving creatures known as the changelings and their queen, Chrysalis having taken place just over a few months ago. I’m starting to see why this was an abridged text, Vergil thought. With even the most recent events in this world serving as historical content, it’s a wonder most archives can even keep up at such a pace. Vergil then proceeded to stand up from the table before hearing a voice call down to him.
“My goodness you managed to finish the book already?” Twilight called down as she made her way down the stairs. “I must say I’m impressed.”
“Boredom tends to drive individuals to accomplish feats most others wouldn’t bother with.” Vergil stated.
“That is true,” Twilight agreed before changing the subject. “Like starting a fight with Dante yesterday?”
Instantly Vergil looked up at Twilight with a vicious look in his eye. “What of it?” he asked.
“AppleJack told me what happened and what I mean is that I thought we all agreed that you and Dante would keep apart from each other as much as possible; at least until your meeting with Celestia and Luna.” Twilight answered.
“If you recall,” Vergil said walking towards the lavender mare. “I agreed to no such terms. Secondly my affairs with my brother are my business and my business alone.”
“But what’s the point of you constantly keeping up this feud?” Twilight asked.
“What took place yesterday was simply a confirmation of my suspicions and nothing more. Leave it at that. I will however humor you and keep my distance from Dante until our meeting with the princesses if it’ll keep you and your friends from hounding me so.”
Twilight was taken aback by Vergil’s rather bold response. “Listen Vergil, I’m sorry for coming off so harsh, but I’m just trying to keep things in order here. I want to help you and your brother, but not if it’s going to cause so much distress among my friends.”
“A noble cause I would say.” Vergil replied seeing the pleading look in Twilight’s eye. “Have it your way then. I look forward to how you and the princesses deal with our departure.”
Vergil then proceeded to sign his name on the tablet centered at the table, signifying that he had returned the previous volume of Equestria’s history.
“Umm, by the way, Vergil,” Twilight piped up as Vergil was making his way towards the door. “I take it you’re still reading the geography book?”
“Yes. I’m still not finished with it and I’m finding some information quite useful amongst its contents.” Vergil answered.
“I see,” Twilight said. “Well before you go I have to ask.”
“Ask what?”
“How are you in chess?” Twilight asked with a small smile. “I figured that a pony of your intellect has to have some interest in a game of wits. Besides you did mention that you were growing bored here. How about a friendly game to pass the time?”
Vergil was surprised by the offer. Rarely was he ever challenged in a game of wits. Over the years he had grown accustomed to dealing with most challenges and obstacles by sheer force. The offer was more than welcoming to say the least.
“Why not?” he obliged. “I have nothing else to do.”
“Good.” Twilight smiled as she levitated an already set up chess set from atop one of the shelves. From the looks of it, the game looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages as Twilight gently blew off a thin layer of dust from the game.
“Excuse the dust,” Twilight chuckled bashfully, “but it’s been so long since anypony’s actually wanted to play.”
“I take it that with your vast knowledge of Equestria and magic, the challenge would seem rather intimidating to most others. It’s to be expected.” Vergil replied, seating himself at the table.
“Why thank you.” Twilight smiled cheerfully at the compliment. Just as she sat herself across the table from Vergil, Spike walked in from the foyer to see the two ponies about to commence their game.
“Oh boy,” said Spike. “You’re actually taking on Twilight in chess? Not to be rude, but she’s like the smartest pony in Ponyville. You’re definitely asking for trouble.”
“We’ll see about that,” Vergil said calmly as he turned the chessboard around to where the white pieces were on Twilight’s side. “Since you offered the challenge, it’s only fair that you make the first move.”
“How courteous of you.” Twilight giggled before moving her pawn two spaces forward onto B4.
Vergil simply mirrored her move and placed his pawn directly in front of hers, two spaces away from his starting point onto B5.
“It begins,” Spike groaned as he saw that both Twilight and Vergil had become engrossed in their game after only two moves. “If anypony needs me, I’ll be taking a nap.”
“That’s nice, Spike.” Twilight said dismissively before moving her knight to C3.
Vergil instantly caught on to Twilight’s plan to eliminate his pawn so early in the game. He simply responded by moving one of his other pawns to C6, setting up a death trap should Twilight make the bold move of taking out his pawn. As expected Twilight backed away and moved her knight to E4, making sure to avoid Vergil’s simple but effective trap. Having noted Twilight’s cautious turns, Vergil decided to test the unicorn and placed another of his pawns onto F6 which was lined in a perfect L-shape away from Twilight’s now fleeting knight. Twilight then took the opportunity to move her left bishop diagonally to B2, leaving it positioned perfectly to take any piece that would attack her knight after its move.
I see how it is, Vergil thought to himself. In just these few moves she’s already revealed her strategy the rest of the game. I might just enjoy myself.
Nearly an hour had passed as the two ponies waged war on one another mentally; strategically trumping one another every few or so turns, doing what they could to keep the upper hoof. To say the tension in the air had grown thick would have been an understatement as Twilight continually stared at each and every piece, carefully contemplating her moves. Vergil, however, was still relaxed despite him losing a knight, both rooks, and a bishop in the process of taking just one of Twilight's knights and one of her pawns. As his turn came, he then moved his strategically placed knight from C5 to D3, taking one of Twilight’s pawns and positioning his knight exactly one diagonal square away from Twilights king. The only thing that had kept Twilight from instinctively taking down Vergil’s black knight was the presence of his last remaining bishop intricately placed in a straight diagonal line directing towards her king if she were to take his knight.
Instead Twilight did the next best thing and moved her king up one space right next to Vergil’s black knight, knowing that he could do nothing from his position.
“You know you can tell a lot about someone’s personality based on how they play?” Twilight chimed in as she tried to ease the palpably tense air between her and Vergil. “Like how their moves and planned procedures speak out about either their intellect or just what kind of pony they may be.”
“Yes, just like how you play too defensively,” Vergil stated, looking up from the chessboard. “While your king is vital to protect, you seemed to have nearly boxed yourself in behind your own men which you strove so desperately to keep safe.” Vergil then moved his queen from H4 to E1, landing it directly two spaces behind Twilight’s king. “I believe that is check.”
“Pretty cocky aren’t we?” Twilight speculated, noticing that Vergil had landed his queen right next to hers for the sake of a check. “I might play rather conservatively, but I think it’s you that’s just a little too ambitious and reckless in your actions.” She finished as she took Vergil’s black queen.
“Rather short sighted are we not?” Vergil asked. But just before Twilight could respond, Vergil placed his black knight from D3 to E1, thereby taking Twilight’s precious queen. “Do not think that numbers can outmatch skill, Twilight,” Vergil then said rather harshly. “It is all a matter of timing and knowing when to strike. Something you seem to have overlooked.”
Twilight was taken severely off guard as the weight of the situation had sunk in. Vergil had managed to take down one of her most valuable pieces so confidently despite his lack of specialized pieces. A black bishop and knight were all he had, save for his king and a few scattered pawns, but none the less, he had somehow managed to move past her defenses swimmingly. Biting down on her lower lip, she quickly moved one of her pawns next to her king upwards, so as to keep it out of Vergil’s black knights’ range.
Vergil calmly responded by moving his black knight forward, just above Twilight's pawn so as to keep out of harm's way.
Nearly half an hour had passed from that point as the game picked up its pace. Throughout the course of time, Twilight had grown more frantic in her attempts to defend her king while Vergil was quietly taking out her defenses one by one with a single black knight he had ever so intricately moved around the chessboard. In and out of each and every one of Twilight's traps his knight did dance as he positioned it to take out each piece upon their mistake of pursuing him.
Finally the game had come down to the wire. Twilight was beginning to feel the stress of each and every move she made, realizing that Vergil had baited her into her own trap. He had gone so far as to move his king clear across the board to bait her other pieces into checking, only to be snuffed out by his black knight and few pawns. Twilight couldn’t help but feel intimidated as she looked up at the calm and collective stallion who she had previous had pinned with her defenses, only to see them come crashing down as he continued to play his black knight with the utmost skill.
“Do you see now? You weren’t willing to discard your men towards your advantage, but rather concentrated on preserving your forces, and because of that you have put yourself in a bind, dear Twilight.”
It was then that she noticed her pawn was only one space from the opposite side of the board. “Well Vergil, you might be right in that sense, but while you may discard your own pieces, I see each and every one of mine as a valuable asset that must be protected at all times.” She said as she moved her pawn upwards one space, thus giving her the opportunity to resurrect her queen into play.
Vergil only shook his head at her adamant statement. “Too little too late,” he said as one of his pawns surrounding her king lowered itself to the far side, allowing Vergil to bring back his queen as well, which was positioned only two horizontal spaces away from Twilight’s king. Before Twilight could think, Vergil then proceed to state aloud, “Checkmate.”
Twilight was utterly stunned as she looked down at the chessboard repeatedly to see if there was anything she could do, but to her dismay Vergil was correct. He had bested her just before she could even put her trump card to use.
Recollecting herself, Twilight looked back up to congratulate Vergil on an upsetting victory. “I must say, Vergil, I’m more than impressed with your skill and wit.”
“I wish I could say the same for you,” Vergil replied rather coldly, causing Twilight to step back a few paces in shock.
“W-what?” was all Twilight could stammer as Vergil’s eyes seemed to burn right though her as he stood up from his seat.
“You disappointed me, Twilight. I expected someone of your caliber to put up a better fight. You played too defensively; you weren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary to win and instead you held onto your pieces with the desire to protect each and every one. That truly says a lot about you, don’t you think? In your destructive selflessness to protect all that you held dear, you left yourself open for defeat by not taking the measures one would need to keep themselves alive.”
Having fed up with Vergil’s wicked tongue, Twilight decided to humor the arrogant stallion. “I can say I was rather disappointed in you too, Vergil,” she said sternly, walking over to the well groomed stallion. “Your recklessness left you open for defeat as well. You talk a big game about those who stay on the defensive, but what about you? You constantly threw away valuable assets and pieces all for the sake of chipping away at my defenses.”
“As I said before,” Vergil retorted, anger now slowly growing in his voice. “Unlike you, I was willing to make the necessary sacrifices to win. If you are unable to hold yourself above those you wish to protect, then you deserve nothing less than defeat. Victory at all costs, dear Twilight. So long as you are the one who stands triumphant in the end, then whatever sacrifices that were made will show as nothing more than trivial losses.”
Vergil’s words struck Twilight hard. In just the span of one chess game he had gone from a docile and outspoken pony, to a cold and vicious stallion who was willing to analyze and exploit her personality against her; all for the sake of defeating her in a simple game of wits. Yet there was something more to this pony than Twilight could place her hoof on at the moment. Something more sinister, foreboding and dark seemed to emanate from his words and his very presence as she continued to gaze into his eyes.
After what seemed like hours, but were just the span of a few moments, Vergil broke eye contact to glance up at the clock and proceeded to make his way towards the library door. “It appears I best get going,” he said, his voice now softening from its previously threatening tone. “It’s late in the evening and I’d rather not waste any more time that I already have. Good evening, Twilight. I appreciate your accommodations and allowing me the privilege of borrowing your books.” Vergil then shut the door behind him leaving Twilight at a loss for words at what just took place. After a few moments of silence, Spike emerged from the bedroom at the top of the stairs rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
“What’d I miss?” he yawned, looking down at Twilight who was quietly placing the chess pieces back into place. “Did you win?”
“No, Spike. I didn’t,” Twilight stated in a saddened tone.
“Woah, harsh,” he replied in shock. “Guess Vergil took you by surprise, huh?”
Not wanting to say anymore, Twilight then levitated the chessboard back to its top shelf and proceeded to make her way upstairs past Spike.
“Umm, Twilight? You ok?” Spike asked, growing concerned.
“Not really, Spike,” she answered as she plopped down on her bed. “I think I’ll just lie down for awhile.”
“Ok, I hope you feel better, Twilight,” Spike said reluctantly, not wanting to leave her by herself.
“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight smiled weakly at the small dragon.
“Just don’t let it get to ya,” he urged, walking out of Twilight’s room. “It’s just a game. Maybe Vergil’s just smarter than you give him credit for.” He then closed the door behind him so that Twilight could get some rest.
“That’s just it,” Twilight mumbled under her breath the moment she was alone, lying down while staring at the ceiling. “It might not have been just a simple game…and I’m afraid that Vergil’s a lot more dangerous than I may have initially thought.”
Meanwhile Dante, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were sitting around the fountain in Ponyville Plaza exchanging stories, each with a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich AppleJack had been so courteous to make for them before they left Sweet Apple Acres.
“And that’s when I swooped in just at the last minute after pulling off a Sonic Rainboom, saving both Rarity and the Wonderbolts,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly. “And that’s how I won the best young flyer competition!”
“Sweet story,” Dante said between bites. “Mind me asking what the heck a Sonic Rainboom is, though? Sounds like an alcoholic beverage if you ask me.”
“Ooh, I gotta make a drink like that at one of my parties now.” Pinkie Pie giggled as she finished her sandwich.
“Hey, I’d drink it.” Dante said.
Rainbow Dash then flew in front of Dante, hovering in place. “You wanna know what a Sonic Rainboom is, huh? Well, you basically gotta get a good take off speed and to have the right amount of distance to clear. After that you have to constantly build up enough speed every second until you finally have enough force to break the sound barrier. Once that happens, a huge explosion of light and sound bursts in your wake as you break through the sound barrier, zooming off into the sky!” Rainbow Dash went on to explain as she was performing miniature loops in mid-air. "It's only THE coolest flying technique in all of Equestria, and I just so happen to have invented it."
“Not bad,” Dante said casually. “Although it’d be really cool if I could see it for myself. Ya know, just to be sure you’re not making this up.”
“What!?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. “You saying that you don’t believe me?”
“Of course I believe you Dash,” Dante explained holding up his forehooves innocently. “I’m just waiting for proof.”
“The proof is in the pudding after all, Dashie.” Pinkie Pie joined in.
“Fine then,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Just you wait and see, Dante. I’ll show you a Sonic Rainboom that’ll blow your mind.”
“Lookin’ forward to it,” he grinned before something caught his eye off in the distance.
Upon further inspection it turned out to be Vergil, who seemed to be leaving from the same direction as the library with an empty saddle bag strewn across his back. Silently he made his way across Ponyville plaza, not once acknowledging either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie’s presence. Rainbow Dash could only scowl at the stoic, grey stallion as he made his way across the fountain. Vergil however, still paid her no mind, but as he walked past Dante their eyes met for the briefest moment, sending a cold chill down Dante’s spine. In that instant, time seemed to come to a screeching halt as Dante and Vergil locked silent gazes, causing Dante to tense up drastically, anticipating for his brother to make a move at any moment.
It was at that moment that something peculiar happened. Unbeknownst to either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie, in that still and frozen moment in time, Dante felt a strange sensation as he and his brother began to break eye contact. Under his coat, Dante’s cutie mark resembling his silver amulet began to glow brightly as if a spark had ignited from just them matching gazes. However, the moment suddenly passed as if nothing had happened and Vergil continued on his way back to Fluttershy’s cottage, ignoring the two mares who had accompanied Dante.
“Hey Vergy!” shouted Pinkie Pie, suddenly breaking the silence. “Wanna join us?!”
Vergil didn’t respond as he continued to walk away, leaving Ponyville Plaza.
“Ugh, that guy is such a creep,” Rainbow Dash said in disgust. “I swear he thinks he’s better than everypony with that smug attitude of his.”
“Hehehe, yup that’s Vergil alright,” Dante chuckled, dismissing Rainbow Dash's gripes before looking back at his flank where his cutie mark lay; no longer glowing. What in the heck happened just now? Dante thought. That sensation. It felt awfully familiar. Hell, I’m starting to think these cutie marks or whatever they’re called might actually have something to do with our Devil Powers.
“Hey, uh, Dante? You ok?” Rainbow Dash asked, noticing the demon hunter seemed to be deep in thought about something.
“Oh, me? Yeah,” he answered quickly. “I was just figuring out how we could make a decent Sonic Rainboom cocktail is all.”
“Ooh! I’ll get the fruit juices!” Pinkie cried. “I don’t suggest using actual rainbows though. They're really spicy and leave an awful taste in your mouth.”
“Yeah," Dante muttered before snapping back to Pinkie Pie's comment “Wait, what!?”
“Long story.” laughed Rainbow Dash.
The sun was just setting as Vergil walked in through the front door of Fluttershy’s cottage. Upon his entry, he was greeted by the elated female pegasus.
“Hi Vergil,” Fluttershy said. “You’re back awfully late.”
“It was a rather interesting visit to the library to say the least,” Vergil went to explain. "Also, I take it you enjoyed your afternoon with Rarity?”
“Oh it was just heavenly,” Fluttershy answered gleefully. “Thank you so much again for taking care of the animals for me. By the way, where’s the book you were supposed to get?”
“That? I finished it. Twilight was rather gracious in allowing me a peaceful stay while I brushed up on Equestria’s history.”
“That’s good,” Fluttershy said noticing Vergil’s pleasant attitude. “I guess you had a good day as well huh?”
“Yes, in fact I did.” Vergil said, now draping his blue coat onto the side of the couch. “I guess you could say today was a small victory for me.”
“Glad to hear it,” Fluttershy smiled. “Well, dinner’s almost done. Care to join me?”
“Indeed.” Vergil answered, trotting behind Fluttershy towards the kitchen.
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Holy Mackerel! This is one of my longest chapters in the story yet.
Plus I cannot emphasize enough how many time I've had to rewrite this chapter over and over and over and over...
Plus I spent up till 4AM playing chess with myself to get this scene down right.
Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!
On a side note:
HERE'S LYRA AND BON BON
Pft, chess.
Pft, ponies.
1711224
Pfff, YOU
1711204
So much SWAG
1711242 Pffft, haters..
Who's talking here?
In an unrelated note:
1711204
Psy Bon for the flipping win!
1711669
Fixed it. It was Dante who said that.
Dante bringing up Lady.
Oh Dante, when will you know that lady will always haunt you with that debt
assets.diylol.com/hfs/c00/b15/00c/resized/stiff-upper-lip-stephen-meme-generator-hmm-yes-quite-84b5a8.jpg
I swear, every time Vergil says something, I want to hear Sephiroths theme in the background.
Vergil: Indeed
Music: SEPHIROTH!
need more
1711844
Wonder if Lady ever found out about that motorcycle indicent...
1712106
I personally like to think that every time Vergil does anything devious, THIS THEME PLAYS
1713209
Oh she did is shows in the art when she finds her handlebars while Dante is walking away.
please tell me your gonna leave the alcohol out of it Pinks.
: Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaybeeeeeeeeeee.
Well, were dead.
Finally, Twilight is catching on to who Vergil really is. I want her to apoligize to Pimp-Master Dante once she realizes her mistake. All of them!
This chapter was very well done. Madara. Keep it up!
1716547 think about that though, in her mind there brothers and from the same place, she probably trust Dante just as much as Vergil
1719537
We'll see...
1719541
i49.tinypic.com/24dhnxs.jpg
*Insert Great Evil Villain Laugh here*
1722738
Yes, we will...
Won't we, Rarity?
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkdGPtGDGG0ckiilbwv3gWE82bdhghWHVV71hVA7OeT-NQgWNt
Another awesome chapter dude
1727395
Thank you kindly
1728072 No, thank YOU for producing an excellent cross between my favorite show and my favorite game!
1738159
Thanks, it's the little things that I feel truly add to the somewhat semi comedic nature of this story.
Rainbow Factory much?
Man, no offense to you I was really enjoying this series quite alot! But after seeing that train wreck of a season 3 finale in which they sacrificed the whole series just to promote a fucking toy I can't read the name "Twilight" without thinking about everything I just said as the series has officially jumped the shark. =/
2106910 My mind just got blown so friggen hard.
Made this after reading the chapter, thought it summed up Vergil pretty nicely.
http://www.memecenter.com/fun/2324285/foolishness
1712106 My sister actually has an AU Sephiroth that's the reincarnation of Vergil. So you are not the only one.
is vergil a creepy guy or something?
God, Vergil is such a dick
4021415
A lovable dick though
I saw a move Twilight could have played to get out of checkmate. She could have moved her king to the right diagonally.
4099816
Close, but not quite.
i46.tinypic.com/vyv75.png
If she did that, Vergil's Black Knight would have overtaken the King anyways, because it moves in an L-Shape. 2 Horizontal and 1 Vertical or 2 Vertical and 1 Horizontal.
She was beaten. Trust me, I didn't spend all night playing with myself to overlook a simple flaw....
Oh god that sounded wrong. 
Dante's response to eating rainbows made my sides hurt!
ahhhh i know Vergil is a big meanie, but i like him and hope it somehow turned out ok for him and Fluttershy, i see Fluttershy as a cure for his personality.
fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/014/6/7/fluffle_puff_tales__screaming__fluffle__by_hellbronyxendor-d5rin27.gif
in this instance:i48.tinypic.com/sd0he1.png I would move my rook on the far left to his knight than took his bishop out if he took out my rook
4815645
*Re-examines the pictures for hours on end...*
Holy shit! You're right! WHY DIDN'T THE COMPUTER DO THAT!?!?
4816007
I thought about that move too. But you can always say: "That was precisely what Vergil was talking about - Twilight was too concerned about preserving her own pieces, so she executed evasive maneuvers"
From what I read of this story so far, the chess game between Vergil and Twilight is by far my favorite moment. It really showed their characters respective personalty's, and made me like Vergil's character even more. I must say the symbolism in the scene was amazing.
I must say, so far Vergil is turning out to be my favorite character in this story. Good job man.
damn rabid trees they are the reason why I all ways have an axe nearby.