The Undying Angel

Angel gazed up at Canterlot Castle in awe. The last time - and first time - she’d been in the city, she’d been too concerned about Discord to appreciate the splendor of the palace. As she rode the pony-pulled carriage through the city now, she took the opportunity to make up for that negligence.

“Your eyes will fall out of your head if you keep staring like that.”

Angel glared across the carriage at her companion for the evening. “Hey, we don’t have anything like this back on Earth. The most impressive architecture there is on the other side of the world from me. Let me have this.”

Spot shrugged, relaxing in a pegasus disguise. He’d decided to go as a silver stallion with a black mane and tail and a cutie mark of an anvil. He was dressed in a fine suit with an emerald-green vest and snake-patterned tie. “It wouldn’t be nearly so amazing were it not held up by magic.” He glared up at the palace. “Honestly, what was the Solar Tyrant thinking, building up here? One sufficiently powerful magical EMP would send half the city crashing to the ground.”

Angel smirked. “And by ‘sufficiently powerful,’ you mean…”

Spot considered the problem for a moment. “Well, between the inherently powerful nature of the spells, their ancient attunement to the stones they’re set into, and the countless shield spells that doubtless surround them…” He frowned. “I see your point. Still, if someone did manage to sabotage them-”

“Then they’d be such powerful and conniving villains that they’d have already brought down Equestria five times over by the time they got around to it,” Angel interrupted. “Just relax for tonight, ‘Iron Grip.’ Parties are supposed to be fun!”

Spot shot a level look at her. “You’ve convinced me to walk right into the heart of the Solar Tyrant’s sanctum and to let my guard down in the center of her power. Worse, you’ve convinced me to attend the most boring of all high-society social occasions, the Grand Galloping Gala. What part of this is supposed to be fun?”

You’ve seen Best Night Ever,” Angel reminded him. “That’s tonight. And I have no intention of saving their collective bacons. Which means…”

Spot smirked. “We get a front-row seat to their shenanigans and those uptight nobles’ reactions. Yes, I do see the appeal now.”

Satisfied that she’d convinced him, Angel turned her attention back to the palace. It had been six months since she’d first arrived in Equestria, and she was finally starting to really feel at home. She’d gotten an administrative job at the weather department with Rainbow’s recommendation. Rainbow had also subscribed her to a gryphon-oriented magazine which had a good selection of non-sapient meat available for mail-order. Angel wasn’t much of a cook, but she was happy to no longer be forced into the vegetarian lifestyle of Equestria.

Her training sessions with Spot had progressed well, with Angel finally able to see marked improvement from when she began. Spot informed her that he’d been gradually upping the difficulty of his fighting, and that her improvement was far more impressive from his perspective. Angel had also managed to perfect her Angel Horn (after several weeks of blowing up her own head) and several different types of weapons and armor, just for fun.

As for the usual Ponyville shenanigans, Angel tried to stay out of them. She saw no reason to majorly interfere with show events and the lessons that Mane 6 would learn.

Or the humiliations they would suffer until they became treasured memories.

Their carriage eventually came to a stop in front of the castle, and the earth pony pulling them unhitched himself before trotting around to open their door. Spot stepped out first before offering a hoof up to Angel. She took it and stepped out as well, keeping her expression calm and cool as she inwardly reveled in everypony’s attention and shock.

Rarity had worked a masterpiece on her. She wore a silk kimono, off-white with just a hint of blue and silver. Vibrant red and yellow flower patterns and the similarly colored obi brought out the gold in her eyes, and her hair was tied up in an intricate bun, held in place by a single silver rose. Angel didn’t know whether the stares she received were due to her strangeness or her Rarity-enhanced moe appeal, but she enjoyed it all the same.

She escorted Spot up to the castle gates, presenting her ticket to the guard and introducing “Iron Grip” as her plus one. The guard eyed her suspiciously but allowed her through.

“Strange to be at a large event like this and not be the one earning suspicious glares,” Spot muttered as they entered the castle proper and waited in line to be welcomed by Celestia and Twilight. “Hope you don’t mind if I peel off from you once we get inside. You attract more attention than I’m comfortable with.”

“That’s fine,” Angel muttered back. “I have a few ponies in particular I want to talk with anyway. Go ahead and mingle.” The line shuffled up a little, and Angel looked up to see a haughty stallion talking animatedly at Celestia. She bore it with a serene smile. Twilight bore it with a twitching eyelid.

“If we ever get in, that is.”

*****

“Announcing Angel ‘The Undying’ Johnson and her companion, Iron Grip.”

“Princess Celestia,” Angel said, bowing slightly before extending her hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Celestia was as regal and majestic as Angel had ever imagined, with an extra aura of power that no television could convey. Her alabaster coat gleamed immaculately, her mane flowing in an endless current of pink, blue, and green. She wore only her golden crown, torque, and slippers, but somehow managed to make Angel feel underdressed.

Celestia looked Angel up and down, not taking her hand immediately. Angel’s polite smile became a bit strained and she began to wonder if she’d messed something up somehow. Just as she was about to lower her hand, though, Celestia smiled and raised her hoof to shake it. “The… pleasure is mine, Angel. Twilight has told me quite a bit about you in her letters. You certainly sound like a… unique individual.”

“Er, thanks, I guess.” Angel shot a questioning look to Twilight, who was looking up at her teacher with confusion and concern.

“And Iron Grip,” Celestia said with far more warmth and sincerity, holding out her hoof to Spot. “Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala. I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

“I’ve not yet had the honor,” Spot replied smoothly, taking her hoof and lightly kissing it. “Forgive the impertinence, but it is rare that I have the chance to gaze upon such beauty.”

Celestia withdrew her hoof, letting out a giggle that was just the right blend of professional and flattered. “Well, hopefully the Gala will provide you with plenty of beauty to gaze upon. Please, do enjoy.”

Spot and Angel gave one more bow before turning down a short hallway that led to a large ballroom. The decorations were surprisingly simple, the natural grandeur of the castle more than enough to show off the wealth and elite status of the hosts. Red carpets ran along the four walls besides tables of hors-d'oeuvres, leaving the center of the floor clear for dancing. Not that anypony was; the Canterlot nobility and other elites would never stoop to such common entertainments as dancing. Everywhere they looked, they found overdressed ponies standing around with their noses in the air, chatting lightly about nothing or just standing around to look impressive.

“Sheesh,” Spot muttered. “This party’s even deader than I thought it would be. How long until the Crazy Six start to liven things up?”

“Give them a bit,” Angel muttered back. “They only left a few minutes before us, after all; they probably haven’t been here too long.” She chuckled. “But if you really want some sort of countdown, keep an emotional eye out for Rarity. The closer she gets to snapping, the closer we get to Flutterrage.”

Spot nodded. “Will do. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” He trotted off, quickly vanishing into the crowd.

Angel rolled her eyes. Changelings. She made her way around the edges of the ballroom, keeping an eye out for somepony interesting to talk to and something to eat that wasn’t made with grass. Every time she approached a group of ponies, it was even odds on whether they’d go silent and start staring at her or whether they’d be so self-absorbed that they’d hardly notice her at all.

She’d loaded a plate with small treats and had almost given up on any good company for the evening when her ears caught the sound of laughter. Looking around and seeing that Pinkie was on the other side of the room, moping about how boring the party was, Angel began searching for the source of joy in this sea of haughty tedium.

“...and so I said, ‘good sir, that isn’t an orange; it’s a grapefruit.’”

Angel barely caught the end of the joke as the unicorns around let out some polite laughter. The speaker was a stallion with a white coat and two-toned blue mane. His mustache was immaculately groomed, and he wore a monocle over his left eye. His suit was well-tailored without being too extravagant, and even without the three-crown cutie mark, Angel would have recognized him.

“Fancy Pants, isn’t it?” she asked, making her presence known. Most of the unicorns gasped and stared at her, but Fancy merely turned and raised an interested eyebrow. “I am Angel Johnson, from Ponyville,” Angel continued, holding out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Fancy smiled and raised his hoof to shake. “The pleasure is mine. And you are correct. I am Fancy Pants, though at the moment I wear none.”

The groans and small chuckles of the surrounding unicorns told Angel that this was an old and oft-repeated joke. She chuckled politely as well. “Good to see that some ponies are actually able to enjoy a social occasion.”

Fancy let out a long-suffering sigh. “Yes, I’m afraid that the nobility are a touch too reserved to really have a good time. Alas, this is the premier event of the year, and it would be bad form to miss it.”

“Really?” Looking around and seeing no chairs, Angel knelt seiza-style to be on eye-level with them. “I was under the impression that you were part of the nobility?”

“Hah!” An amber unicorn with a white mane laughed and shook his head. “Common mistake, miss. But ol’ Fancy Shmancy here’s a business tycoon just like the rest of us. He just so happens to have better breeding, eh?”

Another round of chuckles sounded as Fancy rolled his eyes. “Weighted Bit is correct,” he said. “I have no title or noble standing. My wealth and position were earned through my investments and business management skills. It may not be easy to break into the Canterlot upper crust without being born into it, but I like to think that I serve as a model for enterprising ponies to follow.

“But enough about me.” Fancy turned his attention fully back to Angel. “You certainly are an interesting creature, aren’t you? I’ve never seen the like. I’d heard that the Elements had a touch of help putting that rascal Discord away, but details are scarce. Might I assume that you were this ‘Undying’ aid that so many rumors speak of?”

Angel fidgeted nervously. “I, er, I guess I am. I really didn’t help much against Discord, though. Just provided a distraction, really. The Elements are the ones who really did everything.”

“Fascinating as that is,” Weighted Bit interrupted, “I’m more interested in that ‘Undying’ title. Is it true that you blew yourself up and somehow survived?”

Angel winced. Guess somepony saw that. “Not… quite. I, um, didn’t survive. I just… got better.” Seeing their confusion, she explained. “I can die, just like anyone else. But when I do, my body comes back to life and resets to how it was when I first arrived in Equestria.”

“Fascinating,” Weighted Bit muttered. “I don’t suppose you could give us a demonstration?”

Angel paled just a touch. “I could, but I’d rather not. Dying hurts. A lot.” Seeing the unnerved looks on everyponys’ faces, she hastened to correct herself. “I mean, I’m sure not all deaths are painful! Just most of the ones I’ve experienced. I could blow up my head again - that one’s too fast for me to feel anything - but I doubt you’d all appreciate being showered in, er…” Angel trailed off as several faces went pale. “Sorry.”

“N-no,” Weighted said, waving her off. “I shouldn’t have asked. That makes sense, of course.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

“Changing the subject then,” another of the business ponies said quickly, “what exactly are you? You look a bit like a minotaur, but no cow bits.”

Angel leapt at the chance to move on to another topic. “A human. But I’m afraid you won’t find any more of me. I’m actually not from this world.” She smiled sadly at their stunned expressions. “I was actually abducted from my world by a being called ‘The Merchant.’ He stuck me here as little more than a joke. I’ve been stuck here ever since.”

“How positively dreadful!” Fancy exclaimed. “Not that Equestria isn’t a fine nation to be stuck in, but to be pulled away from one’s home! And, forgive me if I’m mistaken, but from the tone of your voice you’re still rather young, aren’t you?”

“Eighteen,” Angel replied. “Barely an adult by my world’s standards.”

“Truly dreadful.” He shook his head. “My greatest sympathies, dear Angel. Why, if I ever have that cur in my sights-”

“You wouldn’t stand a chance.” Angel bore an appreciative smile, but shook her head. “He’s the sort of being that even the princesses wouldn’t want to cross. And besides, you’re right; Equestria is a wonderful country. I’m learning to love it here.”

Fancy seemed like he had a few more things he’d like to say about the Merchant, but he let the subject drop. “What of your future, then?” he asked instead. Have you given your place in Equestria any thought?”

Angel shrugged. “Not really. Not in the long-term, anyway. I mean, like I said, I’m immortal. Even if I make it to old age, I’ll still reset to being eighteen once I die. I’m working at Ponyville’s Weather Department now, but I suppose an immortal’s got to have a bigger-picture perspective, huh?”

“Not necessarily,” Weighted Bit said. “There’s no law saying an immortal has to play a major role in shaping the world. And I should know; I’m a lawyer. You could easily just live the simple life out in the countryside, if that’s what appeals to you.”

Angel winced slightly, laughing to hide her existential dread. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I’ll have to give it some thought.”

“Well, if you’re ever interested in moving to the big city,” the stallion dug around in his breast pocket and pulled out a couple of business cards, “I have offices both here and in Manehattan. Look me up if you even get a hankering for something more urban than weather management.”

Angel took the cards with a smile before tucking them into a small pocket Rarity had sewn on the inside of her kimono. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Angel chatted with the business ponies for a few minutes more before standing and making her way around the ballroom again. She watched as Pinkie tried and failed to liven up the Gala with the Pony Pokey and shook her head at Rarity when she walked in behind Blueblood, looking ready to strangle him.

“We see that our nephew hath found his latest victim,” a voice muttered from over Angel’s shoulder.

Angel jumped and barely managed to hold in a cry of alarm. She quickly relaxed as she recognized the voice and turned to glare at Luna. “Must you sneak up on people?”

Luna answered with a smirk before turning a disappointed gaze on Blueblood. “Alas, that Generosity should be victim to his callousness. We do not understand why Sister doth allow him to comport himself so.”

Angel shrugged. “Free will, I guess. At least it will lead to an entertaining conclusion for us.” Seeing Luna’s curious expression, she elaborated. “Tonight was one of the episodes from the story.”

Luna chuckled. “She speaks of prophecy and free will in the same breath.”

Angel frowned. “So, what’s with the Royal We and other archaisms? You were talking normally when we met.”

Luna smirked again. “A simple amusement. We are waiting to see how long it takes for the nobility to realize that we know how to speak the modern dialect. Many an innuendo do they utter before us, thinking that their words beguile and confound. It shall be most entertaining to witness their expressions once they take their comments too far and give true offense, assuming we understand not.”

“And that’s why we call you ‘Trolluna.’” The two of them shared a chuckle before Angel’s expression turned serious. “Have you had any luck?”

Luna shook her head. “Alas, we wish we had better tidings. We have inquired of many gods and goddesses, but to no avail. Your case is utterly unique, unprecedented in this world’s history. If any know your fate upon facing true death, they remain silent. E’en Death herself knows not your final fate. We are sorry.”

Angel sighed and shook her head. “Well, I’m no worse off than before, at least. If nothing else, I can always take refuge in another Displaced’s world once this one becomes unbearable. There’s got to be some afterlife out there in the multiverse that will take me.”

“We wish we could be of greater aid,” Luna said. She lowered her voice. “Truly, I wish I could help more. I feel terrible, leaving you in uncertainty like this.”

Angel waved her off. “It’s… well, it’s not fine, exactly. But I’m dealing with it. There won’t be any repeats of…”

They shared a shiver of dread revulsion. “I have seen your dreams about that state. I’m sorry I had a part in it.”

“I would have realized eventually,” Angel said. “And it was still my choice to not get up. It won’t happen again. I-”

“AFRAID TO GET DIRTY?!”

Angel and Luna’s attentions were grabbed as Rarity shook herself like a dog, flinging bits of cake at a rapidly retreating Blueblood. Angel grinned as Luna gaped. “What in the world…”

Blueblood backed into a large statue, a stylized alicorn of gold. The statue began to tilt precariously with a low, metallic groan.

“This is my chance!”

Angel and Luna watched in fascinated horror as Rainbow sped across the dance floor, catching the statue on her back and proceeding to lose her balance, slamming the alicorn into the decorative pillars that ringed the room and sending them toppling.

“It’s uncanny,” Angel muttered as the statue fell to pieces around Rainbow, “how accurate the show was.”

“That is… quite the scene,” Luna muttered as Celestia and Twilight entered. “But you made it sound as if-”

*SLAM*

“YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!!!”

“Ah. There it is.”