Angel

by Sage Runner

The Best Night Ever

"Just us tonight, Mr. Mousey," Angel said as he took another swig of his beer. The mouse sitting in its tiny wheelchair next to the couch squeaked in response. "Mum's off at the Grand Galloping something-or-other, was all excited earlier about making a bunch of new animal friends in the Canterlot gardens. Don't know why she'd want to, everything in Canterlot is stuck up. Doubt those high-society zoo attractions will even give her the time of day." The mouse squeaked again. "Whiskey? Eh, why not, it's a special occasion, even if we're not actually at the special occasion," Angel replied, standing up and walking towards his liquor cabinet. Suddenly, the door burst open. Angel's head spun around as he beheld what appeared to be a mare in a red and orange bird costume. Before Angel could ask her any questions, a familiar feeling overtook him.

"Philomena!" Angel exclaimed. "How... how did I know that?"

"The same way I knew it was you, Angel Bunny, despite neither of us perceiving each other's true nature upon our first encounter, because we are the same," Philomena responded.

"Shit, have I lost my marbles, too?"

"I can assure you," Philomena said, grinning, "that your sanity or lack thereof has no bearing on my appearance before you."

"You said we were the same, the hell does that mean? Am I, like, a phoenix rabbit?" Angel asked.

"What? A phoenix ra-" Philomena replied, stumbling over her words as she tried to make sense of Angel's assumption. "No, no. What? No, you're a normal rabbit."

"Then how are we the same?" Angel asked.

"Ask me the question that is truly on your mind, Angel," Philomena replied.

"The question truly on my mind?"

"Indeed."

"I... don't know what you're talking about," Angel replied nervously.

"Yes you do. It's the question you've ignored since you and your master began speaking directly."

"...What the hell am I?" Angel asked, his tone morose.

"I will answer your question," Philomena said, "so long as I have your word that after I have told you all that I know, you will come with me, and you will do as I tell you."

"That sounds really vague and sinister," Angel replied.

"I ask this of you because I will need your help. Because without your help, I might not be able to protect Equestria from what is coming," Philomena explained. "But if you don't want to know who and what you are, I suppose I will simply seek out another Guardian."

"No!" Angel shouted, as Philomena turned and walked away. "No, alright, fine, I'll help you out, just tell me the truth. What do you mean, Guardian? Is that what we are? Are there others?"

"Many, yes, though I am by far the oldest. Being reborn as a phoenix carries that advantage," Philomena replied.

"Reborn?" Angel asked.

"It is a phenomenon that neither Princess Celestia nor myself fully understand yet," Philomena began, "but throughout history, it has occurred time and again. When a noble soul, a pony with a particularly exemplary capacity for compassion, bravery, righteousness, or similar, lays down his or her life for the sake of another individual within the boundaries of the Everfree Forest, but they feel they have not fulfilled their duty to that particular pony, they are sometimes reborn in the form of an animal. Those animals are then compelled to seek out the pony for whom they died and continue to watch over them, completely unaware of their past life or their true motive for doing so. That is why we are called Guardians."

"So let me get this straight," Angel began, "when I was a baby bunny, stumbling out of the Everfree Forest desperate for a bite to eat so I wouldn't starve to death, and Fluttershy found me and took me in, it was because I had died protecting her in a previous life?"

"That is correct."

"You are so full of shit," Angel sighed to himself as he began to walk back to his couch.

"I beg your pardon?" Philomena exclaimed indignantly.

"The glorified rooster who convinced us that she was as deathly ill as she was highly flammable shows up on my doorstep telling me I'm the reincarnation of some sort of hero. You didn't think that maybe I'd be a little hesitant to believe that?"

"Why would you be?" Philomena asked. "My appearance to you now should lend my story at least some credibility."

"Oh no, I believe you and I are the same," Angel responded. "I just also believe that you get off on toying with people's emotions by lying to them. You have any idea what you put my mum through with your little game?"

"I apologize for my previous deception," Philomena replied. "I sometimes get bored, having lived for so long, and had I known that I was in the presence of a fellow Guardian, I would have exercised more professional behavior."

"Right well thanks for stopping by," Angel replied. "I don't believe you, get out of my house, etcetera."

"Need I remind you that you promised to follow me after you heard what I had to say?" Philomena said.

"Yeah, that was my little prank," Angel replied. "See how that works?" Suddenly, Philomena waved her winged hoof in front of Angel's face, a rather large trail of fire appearing briefly in its wake, causing Angel to leap backwards and scream like a filly. "CRICKEY, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" he shouted.

"Come with me, or I burn down this cottage," Philomena said authoritatively.

"Alright, alright, geez," Angel said as he followed her out the door.

...

"So what are we doing, anyway?" Angel asked. "I notice we're headed in the direction of the Everfree Forest."

"How much do you know about the Forest?" Philomena asked.

"I know it's batshit crazy and defies logic," Angel replied.

"On the surface, yes, but it is not that simple," Philomena replied. "The Forest existed as early as Equestria's discovery by the original six explorers who founded the nation. However, it has always been... different. It has the capacity for great good, and great evil, and in times of strife, those brave enough to enter it could find things within that tipped the scales of many a conflict, things that did not exist anywhere else in the world."

"Okay, so?"

"Many beings appear in the Forest from time to time, some of whom are benevolent, others that are malicious. Even when a malicious being appears, chances are it won't be a serious threat to Equestria, as these creatures are rarely compelled to leave the Forest. However, once in a while, a serious threat does emerge, and when something from the Everfree Forest threatens Equestria, very rarely will conventional means of defense be effective. At times like that, an unconventional defense of similar origin is required."

"Uh oh." Angel said, putting two and two together.

"That is the second reason why we are called Guardians."

"I was afraid you'd say that. Sorry, but I really don't think I can help you," Angel said.

"Of course you can help me, you're a Guardian just as I am."

"No, I'm a rabbit," Angel corrected her, "and even if I believed your story about being some hero reborn or something, which I don't, by the way, the fact remains that I was still reborn as a rabbit."

"Most guardians exist as seemingly harmless animals, with myself being a rare exception," Philomena explained, "but at the exact moment when their services are required, they realize their true potential. You will be able to help me in ways you cannot yet imagine."

"So tell me this," Angel said, "do us Guardians ever get to remember our pasts?"

"Most commonly in small amounts, manifesting in the form of deja vu, or brief flashes, sometimes even dreams, but I am one of the few to have regained her full memory."

"Then who were you?" Angel asked.

"Well now," Philomena smiled softly, "that, I will tell you if we survive the night." Angel gulped, his belief in Philomena's deceptive nature beginning to falter as they entered the forest and an unrecognizable yet familiar sense of dread overtook him.

"I've been in here before," Angel said, his voice shaking, "but I've never felt this way."

"Some nights are clearer than others," Philomena explained cryptically, "and if the night is clear enough, we begin to connect with our past selves. This is the reason why you and I are able to see each other as we truly are on this night."

"But Fluttershy can see me this way all the time," Angel said.

"And Princess Celestia perceives my true form as well. That is something that always happens when the bond between a Guardian and their ward becomes strong enough, once the two have been together for a long enough period of time."

"I guess that makes sense," Angel responded. "Fluttershy and I did only start talking recently, shortly after the butterfly started flapping."

"I'm sorry?"

"Inside joke," Angel said, smiling to himself.

"We're here," Philomena said, as they came to a stop outside of a hut. The door opened, and a zebra motioned for them to enter.

"I am glad, Philomena, that you made it through," she said as they walked past her, "and I see your hunch about the rabbit was true."

"Can she see us? Like, really see us?" Angel asked.

"Zecora is attuned to this Forest in ways that most are not, having lived within it," Philomena answered. "So yes, she can really see us."

"And why are we here?" Angel asked.

"Let her explain," Philomena replied.

"Within this forest, a creature was spawned, a beast made of shadow and brawn," Zecora began. "Small at first, it posed no threat, but the more it eats the bigger it gets."

"The hell is she talking about?" Angel whispered, annoyed.

"Periodically, strange creatures, living shadows of sorts, are born in this Forest. No one knows where they come from, and most of them are harmless, dissipating the moment they're exposed to the rising sun," Philomena said. "But every once in a while, a shadow is able to avoid sunlight long enough to grow and evolve, growing in strength by feeding on other living things."

"And this is what we're here to stop?"

"Indeed. I've defeated these shadows by myself before, but this one, be it lucky or more intelligent than others, managed to avoid detection long enough to become strong enough to leave the Everfree Forest," Philomena said.

"True, over time it has grown stronger, the wild animals of this forest no longer satisfy its hunger," Zecora nodded, a grave look on her face.

"But have you managed to pinpoint its location?" Philomena asked.

"Hard to track, this beast has been, but go to the old castle ruins, and you will find its den."

"Princess Celestia and I both thank you, Zecora, Angel and I vow to stop this beast before it leaves the Forest," Philomena said sternly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Angel interrupted. "Speaking for me much? I feel the need to remind you yet again that I'm a bloody rabbit! I've never fought so much as a mosquito before, so what exactly do you expect me to do against a pony-eating shadow?"

"As I said," Philomena replied, "a Guardian's usual vessel is that of a seemingly harmless creature, or at least, a non-magical one. When a Guardian realizes their true potential, they gain special powers that manifest in a way that is based on the animal they normally exist as."

"Right, okay, so my powers that I still don't believe I have in the first place would be based on pooping, screwing, eating carrots, and kicking my hind legs hard enough to break my own back if my lower half isn't properly supported? Fantastic, let's go save the world," he rolled his eyes.

"You gave me your word that you would assist me," Philomena said. "At the very least, you're rather fond of your cottage, are you not?"

"You know what?" Angel said. "Burn my house down for all I care. You're both insane and I'm done suffering your bullshit."

"If to this situation you turn a blind eye, what will become of your dear Fluttershy?" Zecora asked.

"...Are you threatening her?" Angel replied.

"She's stating the truth," Philomena replied. "Fluttershy lives on the border of the Everfree Forest, she's in more danger if that monster enters Equestria than anypony else."

"...Damnit alright." Angel begrudgingly replied.

...

"So if your story is true," Angel said as he and Philomena walked through the dark forest, "your super powers or whatever would be based on being a phoenix, right?"

"They are."

"So basically, flying and lots of fire?"

"Good guess, that's basically it."

"And you'd need my help why?" Angel asked.

"Because this shadow is stronger than others I've faced, and I don't want to take any chances."

"So I'm the backup."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, so long as you don't need to call me in," Angel replied. "How do you kill a living shadow anyway?"

"Their bodies tend to be frail, but they heal themselves quickly. The stronger they are, the faster they heal, so it's just a matter of inflicting enough damage on them that they can't heal."

"Guessing your fire comes in handy for that," Angel replied.

"It certainly does."

"Well, that puts my mind at ease, now I know that you won't really need my help fighting that thing you made up with those powers you don't actually have."

"Stop," Philomena whispered, as they approached the exterior of the castle.

"Is your imaginary monster close by?" Angel asked.

"You could say that," Philomena said. "It's about to pounce on us."

"Wha-HOLY CRAP!" Angel shouted as Philomena pushed him to the right and leapt to the left, both of them narrowly avoiding the large, ebony blur that shredded the ground upon which it landed. Angel regained his footing and was able to get a good look at the beast. Sure enough, its body resembled a shadow, its flesh appearing barely tangible. It was, perhaps, a little larger than a pony, but its features reminded Angel more of a reptile. The head did, at least, having a long snout and visible, jagged teeth, and, in spite of its vague features, noticeable jaw muscles. Its legs were long and muscular, the knees perpetually bent and reaching above the creature's body, which hung mere inches from the ground. All of its feet were adorned with claws.

"Son of a bitch," Angel shouted. "Really!? You're real!?" The creature turned its gaze to Angel, who immediately regretted speaking. Suddenly, there was a bright flash behind the beast, causing it to leap backwards, shrieking in a threatening manner. Angel looked over at Philomena, and couldn't believe what he saw. The suit she had been wearing was replaced with full armor, a symbol Angel didn't recognize adorning her chest piece. "Bloody hell, what happened to you?" he asked.

"This is what I looked like in the moment I died," Philomena replied, "and it is the form in which I fight for Princess Celestia!" As she said this, she was engulfed in flame, which abruptly took the form of a pair of large wings protruding from her back. With a single flap, she was lifted into the air. "Stand clear, Angel!"

"Way ahead of ya, boss!" Angel replied as he hid behind a tree that he assumed was a safe distance away from whatever was about to happen. Not a moment too soon, it turns out, as Philomena opened her mouth and let loose a stream of fire right at the shadow. To her confusion, the monster vanished a split second before the fire made contact.

"Behind you!" Angel shouted. Philomena whirled around to see that the creature had, indeed, maneuvered behind her, effortlessly climbing a tree so that it could leap to her. She wasted no time in igniting the tree, but yet again, the beast's speed proved too quick.

"It's too fast!" Philomena shouted.

"Yeah and I don't mean to keep piling on the bad news," Angel shouted, "but the fire's spreading!" This, also, was true, as four other trees had already ignited as well. With one great span of her wings, a gust of wind extinguished the trees.

"Nice!" was what Angel was about to shout, but the cheer died on his lips as the beast, which had scaled the castle wall and jumped straight ahead, made contact with Philomena, cutting through her armor and bringing her crashing to the ground.

"Run, Angel!" she screamed through her pain. "Run and tell Zecora what happened! We'll need the Elements of Harmony!" And Angel did run. Straight at the shadow, ramming into it head first at full speed- and having literally no effect. The creature leapt backwards, out of surprise rather than distress, and shrieked again.

"What are you doing!?" Philomena shouted. "I underestimated this thing, now get out of here before it gets you to!"

"I'm not just gonna leave you!"

"I can fight," Philomena replied, hoisting herself to her feet, but clearly wincing from the pain. Angel sucked his teeth as he saw her wound, at the base of her shoulder, just below her neck.

"Don't be stupid, you can't fight like that," Angel replied, "so don't. You go warn everyone what's happening, I'll keep this thing distracted!" The monster roared and poised itself to strike again.

"Angel!" Philomena shouted as the creature charged.

"Don't worry about me, just run as fast as you can and do NOT look back!" He shouted as the beast closed in on him. Suddenly, he was consumed by a bright light, and he was somewhere else...

...Ponyville was no different from any other town he'd been run out of, save for the fact that it shared a border with the Everfree Forest. He had taken shelter there, not knowing what the place really was. He didn't care, it was the dead of night, he had swiped plenty of whiskey from the liquor store, and he had found a nice tree to lie against as he prepared to get the closest thing to natural sleep he had known in a very long time.

A whimper caused him to look up, and that was when he saw her. She was just a little filly, though tall and thin for her age, and she looked very frail. "Um... excuse me?" she said, almost in a whisper.

"The hell do you want?" he said, slurring his words. She stepped closer, and covered her nose with her hoof, and in spite of his drunken stupor he was able to perceive her light yellow coat, her pink mane, and three butterflies that comprised her cutie mark.

"I'm sorry to bother you, it's just that, I've never flown down here at night before, and I'm lost, and this place is scaring me, and I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble I mean, if you could please show me the way out of this forest?"

"Moss grows on the north side of get the crap out of my face," he slurred again, pulling his hood down further so that he wouldn't have to make eye contact with her.

"I don't... know what you're talking about," she said, on the verge of tears.

"I said PISS OFF!" he shouted, causing her to squeal and run away in tears.

"Damn kids, what kinda parent lets 'em wander at night," he said to himself as his eyelids fell. As he began to drift into sleep, he heard a piercing scream. He recognized it as the little girl. Reacting on instinct, he leapt to his feet and ran in the direction from which the sound had emanated. The sight that greeted him would have paralyzed most ponies. The girl had been cornered by a pack of timber wolves, at least five, but it was too dark to make out the exact number. Without thinking, he leapt between the child and the beasts.

"Wait, don't-" her protests were halted by the commanding tone of his voice.

"Don't worry about me, just run as fast as you can and do NOT look back!" he shouted, slurring his words a bit but still getting his point across. She galloped away as the wolves closed in on him. He had a knife on him, but he didn't get the chance to use it. He knew he had no chance at survival, but it didn't matter. As the wolves reaped the fruits of their victory, his last thoughts were of the girl, and he wondered if she was safe...

...The light faded. Philomena rubbed her eyes for a moment and beheld a figure standing between herself and the shadow that she recognized as Angel. The rabbit suit that had adorned his body was gone, replaced by a brown cloak, faded and worn, that looked like it hadn't been washed in a very long time. As he turned to face her, the hood fell from the top of his head, revealing his long, unkempt jet black mane, his faded gray eyes, and the light yellow coat he had always had. The rough, patchy hair adorning his face gave the impression that it had been a while since he had shaved, but that his beard didn't grow evenly or fast. The lines beneath his eyes told the story of a man who had not gotten a good night's sleep in years. On his right side adorned a holster with an old knife in it, and on the left, a pouch, the tip of a bottle of whiskey protruding from it.

"This is what he looked like when he met his heroic end?" Philomena thought to herself skeptically.

"I take it back," Angel said, snapping her out of her musings. "Don't run, stay and watch me kick some ass."

"What are you-"

"I can feel it in my legs, proportional strength and all that. Let me show you what I mean." Angel grinned as the beast, overcoming its shock at seeing another transformation, darted towards Angel, who was gone in a moment. "I'm over here, jackass!" his voice called out from behind the creature, who darted to the side to escape its unexpected predicament and survey its situation. As it came to a stop a good distance away from where it had been, it smelled its enemy, and realized that Angel was standing right beside it. Philomena watched in awe as the shadow took off again at a blinding speed, and she could barely make out Angel as he followed it, bounding forward, front legs hitting the ground at the exact same time, back legs doing the same. She had never seen anyone run so fast before. Finally, the frustrated beast spun around, lashing out with its claws, only to feel its leg being separated from the rest of it. Angel gripped the knife firmly between his teeth, and took off again. The shadow, unable to regain its balance as its leg grew back, was treated to a flurry of cuts all about its body. As its missing leg finished rebuilding itself, another came off, followed by a third. A delaying action. The shadow acted on instinct, but was well aware of the fact that several small knife wounds were not going to kill it.

"It's healing itself too quickly!" Philomena shouted, limping towards them. "We have to overwhelm it!"

"I've got a plan!" Angel shouted, dropping the knife and pulling the bottle of whiskey from his pouch. "Guess this does count as a special occasion," he thought to himself as he cracked it over the shadow's back, drenching the thing. "Here it comes!" Angel shouted as he spun his back to the creature, bucking it with all his might, sending it hurtling towards Philomena. She belted out one last stream of fire, and with some help from the alcohol that now covered its body, the monster ignited like a struck match, crashing to the ground and screeching in pain. It writhed for a few moments, before deforming into a shapeless mass and dissipating altogether.

...

Philomena and Angel, having returned to their normal states, sank into Fluttershy's couch, groaning with relief. He cracked open a beer, offering one to her as well. "Not as fancy as whatever they drink up at Canterlot, but if you're interested..."

"Please," Philomena said, prying the cap off of the bottle with her teeth, "when I was a knight, I could drink any stallion under the table. Though that was ale, and judging by the smell of this stuff, it's barely stronger than water."

"You're alright," Angel replied, laughing. "So you were a knight, then?'

"I was one of the six explorers who discovered Equestria, and being a Pegasus, of course I was military."

"No shit?"

"None whatsoever," Philomena continued. "At the time I was known as Private Pansy, served under General Hurricane. After some setbacks, we eventually founded Equestria along with the unicorns and earth ponies, and for the first five years everything went along smoothly."

"What happened?"

"Discord, a spirit of chaos and disharmony, enslaved us all."

"Guessing it wasn't a benevolent dictator then?"

"He kept Equestria in a constant state of chaos and confusion. Everyone was miserable. Most had resigned themselves to their fate. For myself, I struck out on my own, looking for a way to save my people."

"Find anything?" Angel asked, taking another sip.

"It was the first time I had set hoof in the Everfree Forest. The first time anypony did, as far as I know. It was said to contain forces that worked outside the normal boundaries of physics and magic as we understood it, and since that's what Discord did, I decided that was the place to look for a solution. Turns out I wasn't the only pony who had that idea."

"Made some friends, did ya?"

"It was the first time I had met Celestia and Luna."

"The princesses!?" Angel exclaimed.

"Not yet, they were simply a pair of powerful alicorns who had been watching our developing nation but had no intention of interfering. Not until Discord came along, at least. The three of us made our way through the forest together, the sisters already knowing what they were looking for."

"And what was that?"

"The Elements of Harmony. The metaphysical blueprint of order and peace, which they believed they could access through the Forest's unique properties, and manifest into physical form. Eventually they did, and they stopped Discord, but I didn't live to see it."

"You died on that journey?"

"We were confronted by a Wyvern, and neither my fighting skills nor their magic could defeat it, so I stayed behind, fought it alone, while the alicorns I vowed to serve to the end reluctantly continued on. It was a small consolation that I managed to take the beast down with me, though I felt as though I had not fulfilled my duty."

"And when did you find out about all this?" Angel asked.

"Once Princess Celestia had kept me as a pet for long enough, and was able to see me for what I was, she recognized me immediately, and working together we were able to unlock both my memories and gather information on what we dubbed Guardians."

"That's pretty incredible," Angel said, nodding respectfully.

"And what about you? Surely you must have remembered something," Philomena said, nudging him.

"Only a little," Angel said, bowing his head and appearing ashamed. "The minutes leading up to my death. A vague idea of how I lived my life before that, but no specifics, don't even know what my name was. I was no knight, no warrior, no hero. I was a drifter, a drunkard, and a thief. Barely met the qualifications of a heroic death because I let some timber wolves eat me instead of little-mum. Died worrying about her safety."

"Whatever you were," Philomena said, placing a hoof on Angel's shoulder, "you proved yourself to be a hero the moment you saved a child, and you proved it again tonight. Don't judge yourself based on whatever mistakes you may have made, and don't let it stop you from seeking the remnants of your past life."

"I have no intention of looking into that any further," Angel said quickly, "not because I'm afraid of what I'll find, but because it doesn't matter. Whatever I was, whatever I did, that was literally in another life. I'm Angel, I love my mum, booze is awesome, and that's all I need to know. That and also that I'm a total badass when backed into a corner."

"Backed into a corner In the Everfree Forest," Philomena corrected him.

"Aw, only in there?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well that blows," Angel huffed.

"Will you tell your master the truth?"

"Is there a reason why I should?" Angel asked.

"Not really."

"Then I don't see why it matters."

"I suppose it doesn't, for the most part."

"Only thing," Angel said, "is I wouldn't mind knowing my old name. Someday."

"I'm sure it'll come to you eventually, the more you use your abilities. If I can count on you the next time there's trouble in the Everfree Forest, that is."

"Any time before five," Angel replied.

"Deal," Philomena replied as they clicked their bottles together.

Comments

[Bad_Seed_72]

This was a pretty awesome chapter. Have some mustaches!