Why is everyone so mean?
Lucifer was confused. Not even five minutes ago he'd been standing in a Game Stop, wasting his paycheck on boxes containing a random plastic figure (that just so happened to represent characters from Heroes of the Storm.). Now he... stood... (floated would be more accurate) in a field of tall grass. Barring the light breeze and the occasional bird chirping it was relatively silent. It was actually rather peaceful.
Blinking once, he rotated on the spot. There was a virtual wall of eerie trees to his right, a farm (if the barn was any indication) and orchards of trees straight ahead, and a town off to the left. What had been behind him, reminded him of a Hobbit Hole. A house that was built into a hill, or the house was made out of the hill. He wasn't sure.
Everything felt new, yet familiar. For some reason his brain hadn't quite caught up.
He looked down at himself. A tattered green robe (or what had once been a robe) barely covered his torso. His skeletal ribs were open the the air., within electricity crackled with a quiet hum. He didn't have legs, instead his spine extended into something akin to a tail. Moving his arms he saw a pair of emaciated sharp clawed hands, as well as a pair of spikes protruding out of each elbow. (The spikes poked through the tattered cloth on his upper arms.) He also saw a second pair of skeletal hands only baring two long, clawed fingers. He also found that he could move each arm and hand independently. It was quite easy in fact.
"Well. This is different." His rasped in a voice not his own. He flexed each one of his hands. "This may take some getting used to."
With a sigh (that broke physics due to a lack of lungs) he returned to looking around. The forest was a no for him. Who knows what could be in there? As was the farm. He preferred not to just walk onto someone's property. Same answer for not heading to the hobbit hole.
"Town it is then." He shrugged both sets of shoulders and floated towards the town.
As he floated through the fields he let his mind wander.
'Why is this place so familiar? This is going to bother me. I'm going to wake up at three tonight and it's going to come to me isn't it? Hmmm.
'Also, I should probably freaking out right now.... But freaking takes so much work. Work requires energy. I don't really have much energy right now. I can freak out later.
'Ya know, having four arms is kinda nice. Maybe I can finally run away to the circus and make a career out of being a world famous juggler. I wonder if they have circuses here?'
The field ended at a wood fence, which Lucifer proceeded to just float over. He paused on the other side, now floating over a proper path. A dirt path, but a path all the same. The town was getting closer, that or he was getting closer to the town. It was relative either way. The familiarity was eating at him. That tall, cylindrical building near the center of town looked really familiar.
'Maybe the transition from Game Stop to here left me a little jumbled.' He thought to himself.
A high-pitched whistling noise (one that seemed to be growing loud) caught his attention. He'd have furrowed his brow, but he didn't think he had a brow to furrow. Dual-shrugging again he continued his float towards the town. It was a nice looking town. Brightly covered buildings that had to be shops of some kind. Numerous cottages of varying size.
'Maybe I could get a part-time job at a fast food place. Then I could find myself a place to stay. ... I wonder if they have collectables here?' He thought.
The whistle he'd been hearing reached a crescendo and Lucifer got the vague feeling of a fluffy pillow being smacked into his back. That feeling was followed by the sound of a thud.
"Huh?" He turned around and saw a pony. Not just a pony, but a pegasus. A sky blue mare (He could tell by the magenta eyes and her more sleek physique.) with a long rainbow mane and a mark on her flank of a cloud with a three colored lightning bolt coming out of it. She looked dazed, like she'd just got her bell rung.
It finally clicked. "Oh..... I'm in Equestria.... Duh... Okay now this makes more sense." Lucifer said nodding to himself. "I got Displaced. Cool?" He thought for a moment then nodded again. "Cool." He looked down at the mare. "Hey you okay?"
No response. She was staring at him in an unfocused way.
"You concussed?"
Nothing. She simply blinked.
"Do you want me to take you to the hospital? Blink once for yes."
She blinked.
"Hospital it is then.... Wherever that is." He hummed in thought as he used his lower arms to pick up the surprisingly light mare and cradle her in his arms. The mare's response was roll onto her back with her legs pulled close to her.
"No closing your eyes okay? You may have a head injury." He told the rainbow mare, who still blinked at him in that hazy unfocused way.
"Nod if you understand."
Her right ear flicked.
"Eh, close enough." He shrugged his upper pair of shoulders. He briefly looked right and left. It appeared the part to the left lead to another path that appeared to lead towards the town. The part to the right lead off towards that farm he'd seen. Which, thanks to the appearance of Rainbow Mane, told him that was Sweet Apple Acres. He looked back down at the mare (Rainbow Dash if his jumbled memory was correct.). "So, right or left? flick your right ear for right and your left ear for left." He asked the dazed mare.
Her response was to sneeze.
"I guess we're going straight." He blinked with a nod at the mare. Ignoring the path completely, Lucifer continued straight. There were a few trees and bushes in his way, but he merely floated over them. He came to a slow flowing river, the town was on the other side. He was floating above the riverbank, in full view of the numerous brightly colored ponies going about their day. No pony noticed him yet it seems.
He looked down at the mare, still occasionally blinking up at him. "Let's see if we can get you some help hmmm?" With that Lucifer floated across the river, the water never even touching the tip of his "tail."
On making it to the other side, he floated over to the first pony he saw. (Which just so happened to be a blue stallion) "Excuse me, can you tell me the quickest way to the hospital?"
"To the whaaaaaaAAAAAAGH! Monster!" The Stallions question turned into a shriek on seeing Lucifer. This happened to grab every pony's attention, and thus in moments, there were ponies galloping off in every direction that led away from the pair.
Lucifer blinked and looked down at Rainbow. "Well that didn't work."
Rainbow's response was to flick an ear and blink at him.
"Don't worry, you'll become coherent eventually." Lucifer nodded and looked around. "Now If I were a hospital, where would I be? Maybe there's a map? Or! Even better! I head towards that tall building and go from there? That would work."
Looking back down he saw that Rainbow only blinked lazilly in response.
"I'm glad you approve." He nodded, and hummed. Shrugging he floated over to what looked like the main road/path. He could see the tall building only a few blocks away. However he also saw quite a few ponies running in that direction.
"Hey you!" He jumped a little at the sudden yell. He whirled around only to see an orange filly with an almost magenta mane and violet eyes. There were a few things different about her however. Her hooves were thicker than a normal ponies, her wings were a tad too small, and her tail was more like a lizards. Also, so there was a weird cleft in her lower jaw.
Said lower jaw split open and three tendrils popped out and she hissed as she lowered close to the ground. The tendrils slid back in and the filly growled. "Put. Her. Down."
"But she's concussed." Lucifer replied gesturing to the heavily dazed Rainbow. who blinked slowly. Rainbow's head lowered. "Hey!" He snapped his bony claws in front of her eyes and the mare shook her head and stared wide-eyed at him. "You're not supposed to sleep if you get a concussion." The demon chided, booping the mare's snoot. "Now." He turned to look back at the very confused filly. "Could you show me to the hospital? She needs medical attention."
"What- Who are you?" The filly asked.
"I'm Lucifer, and apparently I'm a version of Mephisto, The Lord of Hatred." Lucifer's skeletal head nodded. "And you are? Wait... could you tell me on the way, I'd really prefer she get checked out first."
"Oh!" The filly jumped and trotted over to him. "Yeah, thure. I'm Thcootaloo by the way."
Lucifer scooped her up with a long arm and propped her up next to the concussed prismatic mare. "Better, I'm probably faster anyway. Oh, and nice to meet you Scootaloo."
"You're probably right." Scootaloo nodded, giving a concerned look at the mare. "Dustin'th going to be worried thick."
"Who's Dustin?" The skull glanced at the pair in his arms.
"Her foxfriend." The filly replied.
"Oh dear, I assume that means boyfriend. Well, we can get her to the hospital then we can go find him and tell him that she got herself hurt." Lucifer mused aloud.
"Thoundth good, now you're going to want to head down this thtreet here. The hospital'th a wayth out of town." Scootaloo explained gesturing a hoof down the street.
"Gotcha." The demon floated his way down the street. "Why's it out of town."
"Tuethdayth get pretty crathy. It'th better to have it away from town so it doethn't have to worry about being in the path of any damage." Scootaloo explained. "Oh, sorry, Tuethdayth are when we have thome kind of monthter attack."
"Well that just sounds terrible." The skeletal demon sounded surprised and a little sad. "Anybody get hurt recently?"
"On occathon, if it'th particularly thurprithing." The filly sighed. "The Hunterth tend to keep thingth in check. Unleth it'th thomething really big."
"I gotcha."
"Pyro Sphere!" A roar caught their ears, accompanied by the sound of crackling flames.
There was a whumph and Lucifer felt the slightest nudge against his back. Scootaloo yelped and Rainbow jumped in his arms. If he had a brow, he'd've furrowed it. He turned around to see a red lizard, red flames still crackling around his jaws, and Pinkie Pie. Both appeared to be wearing aprons and Pinkie was dusted in flour.
"Guile! Careful! It has Scootaloo!" Pinkie snapped at the lizard. Then she got a good look at who else Lucifer had. She gasped. "And Dashie!"
"Sorry. I panicked!" The lizard snapped a glance at Pinkie.
"Rude." Lucifer said aloud. His skull turned towards the filly under an arm. "Scootaloo, why's everybody here attacking me?"
"Eh....." Scootaloo's face screwed up in a wince.
"Ah, right. All of me." He nodded.
"Ummm excuse me?" Pinkie's voice got the demon's attention.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Could you put Scootaloo and Dashie down please?" The pink mare asked, sounding a little nervous.
"Scootaloo, sure." Lucifer set the filly down slowly. On touching the dirt she didn't make any move to run. "Rainbow however is hurt and I've been trying to get her to the hospital. She concussed herself on hitting me."
"Oooooooh." Pinkie said with dawning understanding. "Sweetie, I think he's like you."
"Yeah, sounds like a displaced." Guile nodded, looking at the pink mare.. "Though he's not like any Digimon I've ever seen."
"Cause I'm not." Lucifer waved a claw. "I'm Mephisto."
"Hi Mephisto." Pinkie grinned only for the demon to shake his head.
"No, my name is Lucifer. My body is Mephisto. You know The Lord of Hatred? Well, I'm at least a version of him. Underworld Mephisto if I'm remembering right."
Pinkie blinked in confusion while the lizard paled. "So, that's why you look somewhat familiar." Guile said a little nervously. Then he blinked, his face screwing up in confusion. "Wait- Who names their kid Lucifer?"
"Apparently my parents loved the show and decided not to do any research whatsoever. They were kinda... idiots." The demon said with another impossible sigh.
Guile smiled and made to say something but then he froze. His eyes widened as his gaze seemed to be beyond the floating demon. "Geralt! Don't!"
There was a rather sickening cracking sound as something bounced off the side of Lucifer's head. There was a very loud thud behind him, followed by a wheezing gasp of breath.
"Geralt!" Scootaloo cried out in shock.
Lucifer whirled around to see a light blue werewolf in tattered jeans curled up in the fetal position, clutching a crumpled looking foot, wheezing for breath. Scootaloo was already next to him, but she looked like she had no idea how to help. "Oh! Oh no...." The demon took a hissing breath in. "Oh. That looks really bad." He whirled around only to see Pinkie and Guile racing over. "Do you guys have ambulances or something?"
"Ugh..." Rainbow made her first noise. "Wha- Wha- happened? Did somepny get th’ number o' that cart?"
"Oh perfect timing." Lucifer sighed.
"I got it!" Guilmon threw his head into the air and a bright red sphere of plasma shot out of his jaws. It burst in the air above the town.
"Oh genius!" Lucifer nodded as he floated a little closer to the werewolf, who apparently had finally passed out. "Shit." He swore, then glanced at the filly. "Sorry."
"It'th fine." The filly waved away his concern. "Let'th just hope somepony get'th here thoon."
"B'wah! What? Leggo!" The surprise cry from near his chest, as well as the sudden flailing, caused Lucifer to drop his cargo. Rainbow flopped to the ground and drunkenly scrambled away.
"Dashie! It's okay! He's not a monster!" Pinkie rushed over to the panicking mare.
Lucifer sighed. "And this day started out so well."
Lucifer floated outside the front of the hospital. Geralt had needed surgery and Rainbow Dash needed to be examined and had to stay the night for observation. All things considered, things could have been significantly worse. Most everyone else was inside, his presence seemed to unnerve ponies. Didn't really bother him to leave, perhaps if he stayed, they'd get used to him.
"Diamond!" A clearly furious voice called out. "Tornado!"
Suddenly the Underworld's Lord of Hatred was surrounded in a glinting cyclone of something. Whatever it was, was sure pretty, though the shards of whatever made up this cyclone did little more than reflect off his person.
Clearly someone was attacking him. Again.
Lucifer sighed as the cyclone faded. He turned to see a bipedal, bright yellow fox in blue jeans. “Can I help you?”
“What. Did you do. To Dash?” His voice was cold.
“I didn’t do anything. She hit me and ended up knocking herself silly for a bit.” He gestured a claw back at the hospital. “She’s in there if you want to make sure.”
The seething fox seemed to calm down a bit at that. “You better not be lying.”
“I’m Hatred, not Lies.” Lucifer said, chuckling at his own joke.
The fox shot him a wary glance as he passed him.
Lucifer continued to float there, simply spacing out. He could worry about things later. He just wanted to chill for the moment.
Suddenly, the world seemed to fade to grayscale as everything seemed to freeze.
“Shit! There you are! You would not believe how many world’s I had to jump to before I found you!” A voice made Lucifer turn. There, rushing towards him, was a gray stallion with a white mane and ice blue eyes.
The stallion skidded to a halt in front of him. “Apparently there was a mix up. You get sent to the wrong world.”
“Okay.” Lucifer blinked.
“You’re supposed to go to a different universe. One, not already populated. It was a mix up on the Merchant’s part.” The stallion rambled to the demon lord.
“Kay.” Lucifer nodded along.
“Soooooo if you want to come with me, I can get you to where you’re supposed to go.” The stallion said with a smile.
“Nah, I’m good.” Lucifer shook his head.
The stallion blinked. “Beg pardon?”
“I’m good here. This place seems interesting.” The demon shrugged.
“But… But… Adventure….” The stallion said weakly.
“I’ve never really been one for adventure unless it’s in a game. I kinda just want to get a job, a place to live, and maybe some collectables if they exist here.” Lucifer replied.
The stallion blinked. “.... I can actually fully respect that… Well…. I guess you’re here now?” He smiled weakly then said under his breath. “Shit this is going to have so much paperwork….”
“Sorry.” Lucifer said, feeling sorry for whatever godly being this was.
“No, no. Not your fault.” The stallion shook his head. “This kind of mix up is rare, but it happens. Well, I hope you enjoy your time here. It’s a fun Universe, if a little weird at times.” The stallion started to trot away.
“Isn’t every Universe?” Lucifer asked.
“Ha! True! Well… for the most part.” The stallion looked back over his shoulder with a smile. “I’d say see you but we probably won’t.” With that the stallion disappeared. The world seemed to revert back to its original coloring.
“Huh.” Lucifer shrugged, floating back to rest his back against a tree. “Weird.”
“Hey, umm Lucifer!” The demon looked over at Guile. The lizard was plodding towards him.
“Hey.” Lucifer nodded.
“Hey, thanks.” Guile held out a claw.
Lucifer reached out an upper arm and shook it. “Sure, for what?”
“For well, handling everything so well, I guess?” The lizard looked a little confused. “I don’t know why you’re here, but you are and I’m sorry that everybody attacked you.”
“Meh.” Lucifer shrugged. “I’ve had weirder days.”
“Uh huh…” Guile nodded slowly. “Well, thanks again. Ummm any plans now? I really shouldn’t say, but Pinkie’s already planning your Welcome to Ponyville Party.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Also, that’s nice of her. Oh. You know any places looking for work?”