Mephisto and the Pony

Mephisto dove and swooped through the air as he screamed and spat at the wind.  He was close, now.  The air tore at his mane and chilled him to his bones, but he wasn't going to let it stop him.  Today was the only day in thousands of years that Celestia would see him.  It was the deal that they had made, so long ago.  He had tried, and failed, time and again to get what he wanted from her.  Deals, powers, screaming torture and fiery temptation were routine for him.  This time would be different.  He had watched and waited for an eternity for times just like this.  This time, all was over.  There were simply no more heroes to defend the light of justice.  There were plenty of foes and disasters for mares and the like to defeat - by default.

Compared to Starswirl?  Discord?  legions of demons?  Ponies these days were weak.  He had known for eons that Celestia's rule would weaken and demoralize ponykind.  She just didn't have what it took to be a leader.  She didn't even have the patience to properly act as an older sibling, last time he checked.  Sure, she had her moments (after all, it takes a special pony to wield all six elements of harmony at once) but they were fleeting and negligible at beast.  At their worst, Mephisto recalled fondly, they were spectacular incidents of failure and utter foolishness.  He still remembered her first stallion-friend...

He was ready.  Equestria was ready, and he wasn't going to keep it waiting any longer.

Mephisto flew straight into the main square of Canterlot, landing squarly on some statue.  He was a little smaller than Celestia herself, but he was a pitch red alicorn covered in a thick black travel cloak that hid his wings from view.  His long mane fell down past his shoulders, his beard past the base of his neck, and his tail was almost three feet long, trailing behind him like a ruby snake where he stepped.  He slowly allowed his head to rise as he expect wails of horror and ponies running for their lives and their sanity - and he saw ponies walking about the market, going about their business.

His looked around quickly and projected his voice at just the right volumn.  "Mephistopheles has returned!"

Somepony looked at him.

He jumped down from the marble mockery of somepony and bellowed again, his voice deeper.  "Flee in fear, for I deal in sanity and thy souls!"

A mare looked at him, annoyed.  "Sir, whatever you doing, do it elsehwere."

"Fool!"  Said Mephisto confidently, "All of this town would burn if I but wished it!"

A stallion turned to him.  "Sirah, some of us are trying to concentrate here!"

Mephisto took a step forward.  "Focus thyself on this!"

His horn went pitch black as the magic fired itself at the stallion.  He cried out, and simply vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Whomever else?"  He asked with glee.

Ponies around him screamed and fled in every which direction, knocking over stalls and crashing into eachother.  Mephisto suddenly felt bored.  Thats it?  Back in his day...

"There he is!"  Somepony shouted.  Mephisto wheeled around just in time for a burly guardspony to crash into him at full speed.  Both ponies crashed to the ground as the trained guardspony wrestled with an unresistant Mephisto.  After a moment the guard held up the limp pony, his tongue hanging from his muzzle, and screamed at him.  Mephisto shook his head furiously and looked at the guard with a look of death.  As his horn lit up, he whispered "No touching the art!"

The guard dropped him and clenched his stomach with his hooves, started heaving and wheezing.  Mephisto stepped back.  "Teach you."  He whispered.  The guard fell to the ground and started squirming.  Mephisto looked around himself to see that he was surrounded by guards, each one with a look of horror.  By this time, most of the crows had cleared away.

"What have you done to him!?"

Mephisto spoke like all was perfectly calm and normal.  "I turned his insides into snakes."

The guards looked at each other.  "Were going to have to ask you to come with us..."

Mephisto closed one eye at them.  "Thou art foolish indeed."

"What?"  Was all the time one had to say before a black wave of magic was thrown at him - only to be blocked by a much brighter blast from the sky.  Mephisto looked upwards in rage to behold Princess Celestia and Luna, neither looking to terribly pleased with him.

"Meistopheles!"  Shouted Celestia.

"Whomever is this?"  Asked Luna.

The guards looked shamefully to their writhing friend.

Clestia and Luna landed between the semi-circle of guards and the red alicornl, Celestia looking ready to run a marathon, Luna simply confused.

Mephisto gave them both his most handsome smile.  "This world spins around me, yet I see little of your lovely face, Celestia."

The injured guard let out a yelp.

Celestia rolled her eyes at Mephisto, Luna gasped.

"Sister, thou knoweth him?"

Celestia ignored her.  She addressed the guards "Take him to a hosipital, then return to your rounds."

"Yes princess!"  They said at once, then dispersed.

"Fix him."  Seethed Celestia.

Mephisto looked thoughtful.  "What is my reward, should i see fit to do so?"

Celestia's eyes went pitch yellow.

"Hold on!"  He said,  "I cant!  Its easy enough to turn flesh into snakes, but turning randomly dispersed snakes into a perfectly placed intestinal system?  Cant be done!"

Celestia's eyes returned to their normal color.  "I have FAITH in you."  She said simply.

Mephisto sighed, and his horn flashed.  "Thine work is done."  He gave her a smile, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Celestia stared him down.  "What is it now, demon?"

Mephisto looked down with a smile.  "Demon?  Thou hath scarred me..."

Luna looked back and forth between them, but said nothing.  She hatred being ignored.

Celestia leaned forward a little.  "You have made a demon of yourself."

Mephisto chuckled.  "Judgmental as always, love."

Luna blurted out "who art thou?  Doth thou have feelings for our sister?"

Mephisto looked at her for the first time.  "Our?  Doth Celestia have more than one sister?"

"We have always spoken as such..."

Celestia cut in.  "Leave her out of this, Mephisto!  Tell me what you want."

"Thou hath known what I seek."

Celestia seemed to relax.  "Your not going to get it.  Enjoy what you do have, before you lose it."

Mephisto laughed at her.  "Hath thou seen the state of ponies?!  Greedy, angry, jealous,vain, sensual, slothful, gluttons!  Anyone of them would take my side in a moment!"

Celestia looked hurt, but quickly recomposed.  "Then here is my decree.  Lay claim to the very soul of my favorite pony."

Mephisto jerked a little.  "Thou cant be serious..."

Celestia looked pleased with herself.  "Ariel, my favorite pony, resides in the very city you claim would betray me in a thought.  So prove it.  All you have to do so is lay any kind of claim upon his soul, and you win."

Mephisto leaned back a little.  "Celestia, any nobles would betray you for a bit!"

Celesia took off and flew away.  Luna watched her go, then said "Ariel?"  And she too, was gone.

Mephisto looked up at the sun, and at the slowly returning crowd.  "Ariel...Move slowly."