An Angel Among Ponies

by thunderclap


First Rule of Fight Club

Waking up in a new world is a strange experience. Waking up in a new world and immediately finding a two story tall, multi-headed lizard creature? That’s strange too, but I’m used to everything in existence wanting to kill me so it wasn’t all that bad. Don’t get me wrong this was a bad situation. It could even make it into my top ten of worst things I’ve woken up to. And even though I’ve fought countless times before I always get a knot of apprehension that ties up my stomach like a Christmas bow.

The thing’s four heads roared in unison at me in a symphony of feral hunger. While I recount my fight with this creature I’ll give you the basics of my brand of fighting style. Rule 1: even if you’re terrified never let your enemy know. Was I scared of this thing? The short answer is, yes, yes I was scared. The long answer is that it was a giant snake-thing with four sets of teeth from another world. If I wasn’t scared then I’d be completely insane. Which I might be anyway I’m not entirely sure.

My fear didn’t stop me from putting on a brave face though. I drew the Rift into a point at my right hand and formed my sword, a three and a half foot long blade of polished steel with a golden handle that has a hilt guard that looks like a pair of outstretched wings. I did a quick flourish and yelled, “Bring it on, Scaly!” as I charged the beast. I leapt into the air and brought my sword down in a deadly arc towards the monsters head. It swung one of its necks at me and sent me flying toward a tree.

I flipped in midair and stabbed my sword into the trunk to help brace myself. Which brings me to rule 2: gauge your opponent’s strength to know what you’re dealing with. What seemed like a reckless charge was actually my way of
seeing what I was looking at in terms of speed and strength.

After I managed to get my teeth to stop gritting I had gleaned some useful information. The creature was stronger than me in terms of brute force, but I was much faster than it. I pried myself from the tree and dropped into my fighting stance.

‘Hey Grant.’

‘What is it Gabriel?’

‘Is it just me or does this thing almost seem … cartoonish?’ Gabriel said with a curious tone. I took the best look of the thing that I could manage while I dodged the thing’s snapping jaws.

‘By God you’re right!’ I thought back to him. ‘It does look like a cartoon! It even has eyebrows! Why didn’t we notice this sooner?’

‘I’m guessing you didn’t notice because you were busy trying to survive. I didn’t notice because I was thinking some less than choice thoughts about you.’

I rolled my eyes and returned my full attention to the fight. Which brings me to rule 3: examine your opponent thoroughly and find any weaknesses. And, rule 4: anything goes. I watched the thing’s heads and saw that either one of the heads moved or all of them did, and the heads seemed to have limited movement. An inkling of a plan started to form in my head and I waited for one of the heads to lunge at me and jumped on it.

The creature tried to shake me off but I held fast and slid down the thing’s neck shouting, “Yabba-dabba- doo!” as I did. I landed with a dull thud onto the thing’s back and with a swift slice of the sword, cut off one of its heads. A large spurt of blood erupted from the wound and splashed onto me a little.

The creature started to flail wildly and knocked me onto the ground before I could brace myself. I quickly picked myself up into my fighting stance before the thing could catch me off-guard. The creature stared at me with a quiet rage in its eyes. It was obviously angry that I had decapitated it, sort of. But it was also wary of the thing that it had thought would be an easy meal. We squared off against each other for a few moments, waiting for the other to make a move.

Until, a loud gasp broke the tension and the creature turned its attention to the source and lashed out at it with one of its heads. The creature’s body blocked my view of whatever it was but I could hear the feminine sounding screams and knew I had to help. “Buggeration,” I muttered as I ran to intercept the attack.

Twilight and her friends ran through the forest as fast as they could, the sounds of the fight growing louder with each passing moment. “Why would somepony try to fight a hydra?” Fluttershy asked, breaking Twilight’s concentration.

In the distance they heard a voice exclaim, “Yabba-dabba-doo!”

“I don’t know, but whoever it is, he seems to be enjoying himself.” Twilight replied.

“That’s just crazy.” Applejack said.

“I agree, enjoying something as vulgar as fighting, it’s just uncouth.” Rarity added.

“I think this guy has guts.” Rainbow Dash interjected.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “Hydras aren’t something to take lightly, whoever’s fighting it probably doesn’t realize the danger they’re in.”

“Oh come on, we do stuff that’s more dangerous than fight hydras all the time.”

“Yes, but we have each other. Not to mention the help of magic, and when all else fails we have the Elements of Harmony.”

“Whatever, I still think he has guts.”

“Let’s just focus on helping whoever’s in trouble, alright?” Twilight sighed. The girls silently agreed and in a few moments they reached the source of the sounds. Directly in front of them was the hydra. Only, one of its heads had been cut off. The girls gasped at the sight of this and the hydra turned around to face them.

The hydra lashed out at them and all of them screamed at the top of their lungs. They heard the hydra’s mouth close down on something and opened their eyes which they had forced shut. What they saw confused and amazed them. A strange creature had blocked the attack with its own body. The hydra’s mouth was embedded into its back and looked at the girls with a pained smile. The creature was unlike anything they had ever seen before. It stood up on two legs and was taller than any of them. The only hair they could see on it was on the top of its head and that was short and a dark, chestnut color. It wore a strange, black outfit with a white crest on the left hand corner of the chest. And something that stuck out to them was its eyes. They were a glittering, silver color that almost seemed like liquid metal.

“Well, multi-colored horses, certainly wasn’t what I was expecting to deal with today. Run along now, this is no place for you.” With that the creature took a strange item it held in what should have been its right fore-leg and stuck it in the hydra’s neck.

The hydra released its grip on the creature and roared in pain. Then, the creature ran around the hydra to turn its attention away from the girls.

“Did that thing just talk?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I think it did.” Twilight replied. “Fluttershy, do you know what it is?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it. I hope he’s not too hurt though, he looked like he got a nasty wound.”

“Whatever it or he is,” Rarity said. “His outfit is exquisite.”

“Is now really the time t’be talkin’ about fashion. Applejack snapped. “We should try t’help ‘im.”

“Umm, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said.

“What?”

“I don’t think he needs any help.” The girls focused on the fight and saw the creature throw the object it had used to stab the hydra. This distracted the hydra long enough for the creature to reach its midsection. Then the object suddenly reappeared with the creature and it proceeded to hack and slash at the hydra’s chest. After a few slashes the hydra went limp. The object disappeared from the creature’s grip and it collapsed as well.

Fluttershy rushed to its side and rolled it onto its back to examine the wound it had taken. “I was afraid this would happen.” She said, after a moment.

“What is it, Fluttershy?”

“The venom from the hydra is attacking his nervous system. At first, I thought it wasn’t affecting him because he seemed fine. Now I see we have to get to work on him fast or he might die. Twilight, can you teleport all of us back to your cottage?”

“No, at the most I could get five of us.”

“Then, take you, him, and me to my cottage. The rest of you meet us there as soon as you can.”

Twilight nodded and in a few moments they disappeared in a bright, white flash, while the others ran as fast as they could to make it to Fluttershy’s cottage.

I have to say that I never imagined dying for the sake of six little horses. I always thought that I’d die during my last fight with Michael. I mean, how was I supposed to know that the thing had venom? It was as big as a house for Christ’s sake! What could possibly be, so dangerous that something that big would need venom to protect itself from it? On second thought, I don’t wanna know.

I’m just kidding. I didn’t die. After I let the Rift exit my body the venom kicked in and knocked me unconscious. After that, I had a dream of sorts. I was sitting on a bench that overlooked the Thames. It was the dead of night and the only other person in sight was the girl sitting next to me. The glow from the streetlight caused shadows to play across her soft features. She had long, blonde hair that was tied up with a black ribbon. Her eyes were a deep blue that almost looked purple. She wore an outfit like my own, the uniform of the Clergy with the cross mixed with a compass rose on the left breast, only hers was more designed for the female form.

“Hard to believe this is our third date, isn’t it, Grant?” She said.

“You can say that again.” I replied, a huge grin on my face.
“That’s a good look for you,” She said with a half-smile. “Much better than that scowl you always had before.”

“It’s all thanks to you. You make me feel… at ease and happy. I’m glad you’re here with me. I actually got you something.” I said, pulling out a small object from inside of my outfit.

“A snow globe of the London Eye,” She said with wide eyes.

“I know it’s your favorite thing in the city so I got you something that had an image of it, and I thought you’d like this the best.” I said nervously.

“This has got to be the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen… and I couldn’t love it more.”

A smile broke out on my face and I couldn’t stop myself from saying, “And I love you.”

“Did you just say you love me?”

“No I didn’t,” I replied frantically, waving my hands in front of my body.

“You did! You said you love me! Admit it.”

“Fine,” I said with a heavy sigh. “I said that I loved you, and I meant it.”

“Good because I love you too.” She said, bringing her lips to meet my own in a passionate kiss. I wish that that dream had lasted forever, but it dissolved a few moments later. Leaving me waking up with only one word escaping my mouth,

“Sophie.” I reached my left hand out to rub the black ribbon tied to my wrist.