//------------------------------// // Descent, Landings, and Pain // Story: Angels in Equestria // by ArguingPizza //------------------------------// God damn it. No, seriously. God damn it. Okay, I admit; not a great way to start a story. Without context, that might make me sound bitter, which I'm totally not. I love my Dad, and my job. Is it easy? Hell no, and I do mean Hell no. Why the emphasis you might ask? Well, not to brag, but I'm kind of a High Angel of Heaven. Cool right? Yeah. I know what you're thinking; "What's with the swearing?" Yes, angels swear. Like sailors, in fact. Though, considering the fact that we've been around since pretty much the Dawn of Creation, you might say sailors swear like angels. Hmm? What's that loud, roaring sound? Its nothing, just the wind. Well......technically not wind, so much as the air that's rushing by me at a hair under 10,000 miles per hour. And that brings me to the first thing I hate about being an Angel. Overall, being a Celestial Soldier of the Highest Plain is awesome, but like every job it has the parts that just absolutely suck ass. First on the list: the descents. NO! NOT FALL! Its a DESCENT!!! Its DIFFERENT! ….Sorry. Kind of a sensitive subject around the Heaven household. Ever since my big brother and Dad got into it, the whole family's been fighting like crazy. But yeah, descents suck. Partly because your entire essence is ripped out of the Heavenly Plain and dropped into the Mortal one like a bowling ball through tissue paper. Partly. But mostly, its the landings. Landings suck Demon dick, but more on that in a second. First, a quick pre-ground checklist. Physical body? Check. Wings? Check. Sword? Check. A long list of obscenities to shout at the top of my newly formed lungs when I slam face first into the-SLAMBOOOOOOOOM!!!!!! …....Ow. I guess that last one needs work. I'll get on that, right after my entire body stops feeling like its been liquified and burned. ….......... Nope, pain's not getting any better. With a groan of pain I refuse to call anything less than manly, I pushed myself to my feet. Every single joint popped, and when I looked around I noticed more than a few stark white feathers littering the ground. They were easy to spot; Angelic white stands out like a candle in the dark against the black, charred glass that was once a meadow teeming with wildflowers.....or possibly just a bunch of boring trees. Hard to be sure. For nearly a mile in every direction, the ground was cracked and burned pitch black, and I was standing in the center of a crater over a hundred feet deep. All-in-all, a pretty damn good landing, especially compared to the last time I went physical. That one was a real shame. I really like the dinosaurs. Not the most cuddly of creatures, sure, but Velociraptors in particular were actually pretty friendly. Or, at least, they were when they weren't hungry, then they got all bitchy. And bite-y. I looked down and double checked myself. One thing about physical bodies; they require maintenance. Eating, breathing, expelling waste. I couldn't help but shudder. That's the main reason why angels try to avoid coming down to the Mortal Plain, or as we call it, 'going physical'. The idea of passing dead plants and animals through your body is just......blegh. We don't actually have to do it, but even just having the equipment available is......unsettling. My armor was undamaged, though there was a fine layer of soot covering every inch of me from head to toe. With a thought, the grime was dispelled, and the cherub-forged armor, made of Heavenly gold, shined spotless in the light. Yes, golden armor. The absolute worst possible choice for camouflage and subtlety? Without a doubt. A literal, physical incarnation of Holy Badass? Hell yeah. Not to mention its still strong enough to stop just about every weapon in Creation dead in its tracks. In a single smooth motion, I pulled my sword from its sheath, specially crafted to release its charge only to my own hands. Nameless. That was her name. Yes, her, and after all that hype I bet you'd think that I'd have a better name for her than just 'Nameless', but for some reason from the very first moment I laid my eyes upon her, I knew. It was as if she spoke to me, and I had always known her. Two old friends, meeting for the first time. 'Nameless, Wrath of the High Angel Cornelius'. Sounds a lot cooler like that, doesn't it? Damn right it does. The blade, four and a half feet of sanctified silver, practically sparkled. She was just as beautiful down here as in Heaven. I couldn't quite keep a smile off my face as I beheld her. In all the thousands of millennia and billions of battles in which I had carried her with me, not once had she failed me. More demons had met their end from her sharper-than-razor edge than there were stars in all the universe. I took a deep breath and returned Nameless to her home. I rolled my shoulders, allowing any latent kinks to work themselves out. I closed my eyes and finished settling into my body. The pain of landing faded, and I was once again at peace. With a thought, my wings snapped out to their full fifteen-foot span. A single powerful flap propelled me a half mile into the air. With vision a thousand times more keen than even the sharpest-eyed of Eagles, I observed a small village resting just outside of the forest I had landed in. From the air, my impact crater appeared as an ugly blemish on the otherwise green landscape, and I said a silent prayer of thanks that I had missed the tiny hamlet. However, it seemed my arrival did not go unnoticed. Not truly surprising, considering it almost certainly caused a powerful earthquake, not to mention the huge burning trail from the sky. The streets of the village were filled with short, pastel colored ponies. The skies above, too, teemed with colorful equine life. It almost looked like someone had spilled a bag of enormous skittles, which had come to life and immediately panicked. “Yep. Definitely in the right place,” I said to myself. “Now let's see......” I scanned the horizon, and, sure enough, to the northeast of the village stood a tall mountain. A large, impractically designed castle was built upon its western face, hanging precariously over the edge. With a second mighty pump, I rocketed towards the city. Okay people, I'd like to ask before this goes any further that nobody in the comments try to make this story about religion. Its not. Think of it more like the Diablo games or the show Supernatural; there are elements from religions but they're used more like source material and background than anything. I'm not preaching anything to anyone, and I never will. But, in terms of just story, please tell me what you think. Review, rate, whatever. If you have any constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it. I especially appreciate having my grammar mistakes pointed out, since I lack a proof-reader.