There is a moment in our lives that defines us. It is always a small thing, like a wrong turn, a broken promise, or a chance meeting. That is valid for us all, from the humblest pony to the most famous of heroes, and even the Princesses, from the height of their power, aren't immune to the follies of destiny. Realizing this is important, but is also very dangerous, for when we believe that it is a small thing that will define us, we stop paying attention to the big things that comprise the bulk of our existence, and end up losing what makes life worth living. No, in reality these things only matter because we notice them much later, when we are already robbed of choice, and we are left at the mercy of consequences of actions in which we were mere participants, never actors.
The best possible thing is if we forget about that decisive point in time. We are then free to deal with the future, unburdened by what-ifs and conjectures that we are powerless to alter. It is my doom that I am in a later category, that despite all the years since our first meeting, the memory of that first encounter never waned. Like smells and songs of my childhood, the short talk I had with that being beyond the barriers of our world was burned forever in my memory. It is ironic that since the day when I foolishly traded so much, I found so much more that I wish I could fully recall, yet only this regrettable incident refuses to let go.
It all started in the dark and windy Canterlot night of July 8th, year 993 of Celestia's era. My parents had long gone to sleep, believing I had done the same. Of course, that would be against my nature, and under the shroud of the night and the light of my horn I kept myself awake. Sometimes I wish I could also pin this on my fate, but the night had always been my territory, and sleep seemed both wasteful and boring even at a young age.
In front of me was my brother's old "Princess Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns Student Guide". Despite its years, it was still in pristine condition. I was busy searching for details to help me in the test I would have to undergo in the following day, knowing full well that, despite all my knowledge, my chances of following my brother's steps on this were diminishing by the hour. It was not that I disliked studying, or that the themes didn't interest me, but instead the formality they required. The spells were too specific, with steps and techniques followed by tradition instead of merit. This went against my common sense, and I could never quite manage to perform them as instructed.
So, in the dark room and under my covers, it was understandable that the sudden presence I felt startled me beyond belief. While I could usually shut down the world beyond my reading, there was a sudden change in the room that instantly told me I was not alone.
Trying not to alert whoever was watching me, I did a quick mental check of who would be in the room. It couldn't be my brother, who was still in boot camp, following the path to join the Royal Guard. Cadence, my babysitter, was also another impossibility, since she had left a few days ago to deal with personal issues. Father was too clumsy to enter so silently, and mother too forceful to simply stand there without saying anything.
The natural remaining options would have terrorized me in any other situation, but for some reason beyond my comprehension whatever was in my room that night seemed benign, although now I certainly know better. Nonetheless, I was young, and curiosity soon overcame my fear. I imagined myself standing up and heroically throwing away my covers, but the result was certainly more endearing than threatening.
It was by the faint light of my magic that I first saw him. He was standing smugly at the corner, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be inside the room of a little filly. I had seen goats before on the streets of Canterlot, but they always appeared disheveled. Instead, he was expertly groomed, his black horns sleek and shining, and his dark goatee oiled and pointed down like a spear. He was of a dark grey, the color of smoke, and his orange slanted eyes seemed to shine with a red light. His mane was also red, but of a darker rue, and trimmed and styled in a professional manner.
Of course that in that dark room, during the short time I stood gaping at his figure, I didn't grasp all those details. His horns were shrouded in darkness, and the only distinctive feature I could discern were those eyes, perpetually shining with some otherworldly light. Nevertheless, the effect was impressive, amplifying both my terror and my curiosity. The second soon overcame the first, so I took a tentative step towards him. As soon as my hooves touched the ground in his direction, he spoke.
"Bravo! Such a promising one you are. Little filly, what would your name happen to be?"
His voice commanded respect, but also advertised caution. He stood in that same spot, still looking perfectly at home, while I fumbled trying to find the words to answer his question.
"I am Twilight! Who are you?"
"Twilight, what an interesting name. As for me, I have been called by many names, and my real one is of little importance. You may call me Mephisto."
"As in the tale of Faust?"
"Curious, courageous and well read at such a young age. A mare after my own heart. Say, Twilight, what is your greatest wish? Riches, fame, power..."
That gave me pause. I was too young to harbor great ambitions, but also too innocent to detect any hidden motivations. Most of all, I was too entranced by the idea of meeting a creature straight out of legend, enough to ignore the possibility that the being in my room was some kind of evil deity.
"I don`t know. How do I know you are the real Mephisto?"
"You don't. That was why I said my name was of little importance. Not like whatever legends you have do justice to that name."
"They say Mephisto tricks ponies..."
"And sucks their will to live, and tried to destroy the world and suck all its happiness to fulfill his plans to bring darkness to the universe. So much of what ponies say is fake, fabrications made to appease their psyche or further their interests. Worst of all, they create lies that seek to rewrite the past, seeking to ignore inconvenient truths."
"That sounds stupid."
"Oh, but dear Twilight, all beings harbor such stupid desires, even one as bright as you. You wish to grow stronger, to prove your valor, to achieve great things. Don't you like to do something so much that you would give everything to do it better?"
"I like to read!"
"Well, don't you want to read faster?"
"Not really. I wouldn't be able to enjoy the books as much that way."
"What about your family?"
"I love my daddy, my mommy, and my big brother!"
"Sure you do. But I am sure you wish they loved you more. You wish they looked at you with the same admiration they have when talking about your brother... or even more."
"But I love my brother!"
"Yes, and he loves you back I am sure. But wouldn't it be better if you could share that love as equals? What if he saw you as someone he could trust his burdens with, and not just someone to be protected? What if you didn't just stand behind his shield, but instead worked as a lance by his side?"
During our exchange he had been creeping closer and closer. However, I am sure he never moved, since I was unable to tear my eyes from him, so entranced I was by that being able to pry open my deepest secrets. I always looked up to my BBBFF, the perfect and all powerful Shining Armor, with his unparalleled ability to protect ponies. My parents loved me very much, this I never doubted, but I always felt like the number two, a mediocre follow up to the amazing labor of love that was Shining Armor. I couldn't even bring myself to be angry at him, since he was simply too friendly for me to even consider disliking him out of spite.
Yes, I was young, and maybe such thoughts came more from inexperience and insecurity than anything else, but I was sure that I would always be an average unicorn at best. My dreams were filled with a future where I was completely unremarkable, and whenever people heard the name "Twilight Sparkle" they would, at best, remember me as the less talented sister of Shining Armor, hero and protector of Equestria. His cutie mark appeared when he was two years younger than me, and at my age he was already well known in his school and far on the path to be a shining member of the Royal Guard.
This train of thought came to me while Mephisto waited patiently for my answer. I am sure that I stayed there thinking for some minutes, but never in that time he made any move to press me for an answer. Instead, he just stood in the middle of the room with his unnerving eyes and confident smile. So, when I say that I accept all the blame for falling into this curse, and the consequences that followed, it's because all that happened came from my own malformed thoughts when I finally made the statement that would forever change my life.
"I kinda wish that I had some kind of amazing magic like my brother. That I could make ponies go 'Wow!', and create more magic than any other unicorn. I always wanted the power to make what I read in these books real!"
His smile grew tenfold at my outburst.
"I can give you this power, Twilight. A power vast and unbridled by nothing but your own imagination, something much sought and desired but rarely acquired, that is, the power of magic itself. Imagine yourself able to perform any magical feat. All unicorns are able to perform certain specific tasks, and they might even expand their repertoire a little with great dedication and study. You, instead, will be able to learn any magic you so wish with great ease, maybe not meeting the level of a true natural right from the start, yet allowed to climb whatever heights of ability you dedicate yourself to."
During his speech Mephisto kept approaching me in that strange way, so much that when he finished talking he was so close I would be able to reach him with my muzzle had I wished, and I could feel the heat emanating from his eyes. My heart was pounding, entranced by his words, his promises, and his now much larger smile. Somehow, despite how little I said, he saw through all pretense to my true aspirations – to be able to understand all that I put my mind to, to be able to pierce the veils of knowledge that held back all unicorns! History was filled with wizards able to perform acts beyond belief but, other than the legendary Star Swirl, few managed to master magic from more than two or three schools.
The promise of such power, such prowess, was too much for my young mind. Truth be told, it would still be too much for me now, and I believe the same would apply to all unicorns of scholarly inclination. Consequences be damned, I now wanted that more than anything I ever wanted in my life.
"You are just gonna give it to me?"
"Of course I am. But it is only fair you give me something in return, don't you think?"
"But I don't have anything to give you back..."
"Oh Twilight, you underestimate yourself. Maybe you don't have much to give me right now, but you will have in the future. My price is small: I will one day ask you for a favor. When that time comes, you will do whatever I say immediately, no matter the circumstances, no matter my request. After that you will be free of any additional obligations, and you will be able to do what you wish with your powers so long as the sun still rises in the east each morning."
"The legends say that you hurt ponies..."
"Don't you worry, they are just that, legends. I bet they don't talk about how I give amazing gifts to deserving fillies, no?"
"I have only read about adults..."
"So there is nothing to worry about! But there is still one more thing about this gift: So long as you possess it, I will be able to see what you see, hear what you hear, even feel what you feel. Your thoughts will be your own, of course, but all external stimuli will be copied over to me. This too will end when you complete the task I mentioned."
"Eeew, you wanna spy on me?"
"Not spy, I guarantee. I just wanna see how my protégé is doing. That is all."
"But how do I know that what you will give me will be worth it?"
"Quite easily I guarantee, as you may relinquish this power whenever you want. Just say so out loud, and I will hear you and accept. All the magic and abilities you gained through it will be forgotten, and I won't contact you ever again. You won't even have to do the favor if you say so before I ask you!"
I wish I could say I took a few seconds to think before accepting, but then I would be lying. Even if he was some kind of terrible over-galactic destroyer of worlds I could still do whatever I wanted, and give up the power if he tried to ask me to do something too outrageous. Obviously, nothing could go wrong.
Absolutely nothing.
"Okay, I will do it. What do I have to do?"
"Thank you, you won't regret it. Just stay still," he said as he booped my nose with one strangely hot cloven hoof.
I woke up in my bed, not feeling anything out of the ordinary. I believed instead that I had a strangely lucid dream after studying too much on the past night. I decided to forget the idea of having some kind of sudden magical gift and focused on the coming exam.
I walked the way to the school gates with a slump. I was sure that I would fail the test, in front of my parents nonetheless, and have to content myself with whatever second-rate school I could find. Maybe I'd get a book cutie mark and would be allowed to assist the Royal Librarian. Maybe Princess Celestia would one day spare me a glance and say "Good job", while the other librarians gave me envious glances, never forgetting I only got my position due to Shining's influence.
Instead, the examination and its crucial events happened. While I tried to influence the exam egg, a pony called Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom. The shock wave caused me to lose control of powers I never knew I had, turning my parents into potted plants, and hatching the egg into a gigantic dragon. The only thing that stopped my rampage was the Princess sudden intervention, which calmed and reverted my tide of power. I went from a regular old unicorn to the personal student of my idol and ruler of Equestria, and got a cutie mark with the Symbol of Magic to show for it.
Sure, Mephisto visited my thoughts from time to time, but he was mostly forgotten. I was content with my new found powers, and through Celestia's tutoring I grew much, both in magic and in personality. The baby dragon, which I decided to call Spike, became my ward and friend, and when Shining Armor came home for his vacations I could finally look him in the eye as an equal. The "dream" became a dream, and I convinced myself that the events of that night were just some kind of weird hallucination born out of fatigue and insecurity, albeit one I couldn't bring myself to forget.
It all came crashing down one year and eight months later, when Mephisto paid me another visit.
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! I plan on updating weekly, every Friday or Saturday. Also, criticism and pointing out my goofs would be extremely appreciated.
