The Guardian's Angel

Chapters

Nothing held back
Angel in the dark
When light rains from darkness
Both a blessing and a curse
The guardian's angel
Through the eyes of friendship

Nothing held back

So... they're here for their answers already, the creature thought to itself after noticing the ponies coming towards it. I really wish they would have given me more time. I don't think it's been more than two days since my arrival here... No matter. They have a right to know, and I have nothing to hide. I will tell them everything, if they only ask the right question... About my people. About where I came from and why am I here. About the pact I made. About all the loved ones that I've buried over the years... Even about those last few words that god whispered in my ear before assigning me to this ordeal...

"Khe khem," Twilight harrumphed, failing to catch the creature's attention. Her confidence began to dwindle as she saw that he seemed to have little interest in a conversation. Nevertheless, there was no going back. "Excuse me, Mister..."

"Archangel," the creature introduced itself. "You can also just call me "Arch", if you prefer," he added without a speck of any kind of emotion in his tone.

"Archangel..." Twilight repeated. "But, that's not an actual name... Is it?"

"Does it matter?" he counter questioned. "I forgot my real name more than two millennia ago. Even if I hadn't, no one has called by that name for even longer than that," he explained.

"Two millennia..." Twilight repeated in awe. "So, you're an immortal?"

"Indeed," Archangel confirmed. "I take it you'll want to hear the full story?" he asked after a long sigh.

Compelled to agree, Twilight replied by slowly nodding. "Yes... If it's not too much trouble--"

"Very well." he cut off her sentence in a casual tone. "I'll try to keep this as short as possible. Nevertheless, be ready for a long story..." He made himself more comfortable before continuing. "I wasn't always the fearsome creature you see before you now... I was once a simple man with a simple life. I didn't possess any kind of powers... I'll skip the details since it's not really a story worth telling... My true story began three thousand years ago, when the god of my people came down to my planet and spoke with me. He revealed the history about the creation of my kind to me... I had heard legends about it before, but I never actually believed in any of them... Naturally, after the creator of my kind told this to me in person, I could no longer deny it..."

"The god of your people chose you out of everyone on your world?" Twilight curiously inquired.

"Indeed." Archangel nodded. "He told me that he saw me as the most selfless person there was, and that he trusted me to never misuse the powers that he bestowed upon me."

"What exactly was the purpose behind this action?" The purple alicorn seemed to only become more curious with each answer she got. "Why would your god just suddenly drop out of the sky and make you the most powerful creature on your world!?"

"He didn't instantly just make me this powerful," he calmly replied, ignoring the pony's somewhat rude tone. "He left me just as weak as I was the moment he arrived, but he granted me the power to adapt to every trial I face... and so I went and faced as many trials as I could, only growing stronger, faster and harder to hurt. Hence the words, "I suffer. I endure. I adapt."" Noticing the pony's sudden change of expression, he realized that he had just struck a chord in her memory. "As for why did he grant me such powers... well, I was actually just about to get to that," he snidely replied while staring at Twilight.

"Sorry..." Twilight said and slightly bowed her head from shame.

"Not to worry." Archangel chuckled. "And so, the god of my people told me how when he created the very first two humans..." He paused after seeing the sudden curiosity in the eyes of the ponies. "Yes, that is what my kind is called," he clarified. "When he created the very first two humans, he tested them to see if they could be trusted. If they could, then they would be allowed to forever live in the paradise that god created for them... Alas, they ended up betraying his trust and got forever expelled from there and were forced to create their own world worth living in." Archangel paused for a moment. He continued after seeing that the ponies seemed to have no further intention of interrupting him.

"Distrust... That was the only legacy that humanity inherited, and it only grew stronger as the years went on. It eventually grew into violence and perversion, and the world that the humans made for themselves ended up being devoid of justice... Innocents died by the millions, and villains ruled supreme and were never questioned."

"My goodness!" Twilight exclaimed. "How could your god allow such a thing?"

"He thought that it was a fair punishment to someone who betrayed his trust... but after several millennia that he spent watching them suffer, he finally realized that he had made a grave mistake and decided to do something about it."

"And you were his way of doing something about it?"

"Aye," he replied with a touch of regret in his tone. "He could not interfere with the world directly, so instead he chose a champion... an archangel... He couldn't use his power to solve all of our problems for us, so instead he gave one of us the power to do so by themselves, and in return for my service to mankind, upon completing my task, he would allow me to visit a different kind of paradise... A world devoid of the corruption, violence and perversion that had been corrupting my own world for many millennia... A place where harmony prevails." He lifted up his head and looked upon the world around him. "Not exactly what I had expected, but still... It would be wrong of me to say he was lying."

Utterly astonished by the explanation, the six ponies couldn't help but direct a prolonged gaze towards the visitor.

"Wow..." Twilight said after a long pause. "This... I don't even know what to say..." she rubbed the back of her head as her mind was still attempting to process all of the newfound information. "What exactly happened to your world, in the end?"

"My race destroyed it," he answered without thinking.

"Huh?" the six ponies uttered.

"My race would always have trouble getting along with one another. Our god foresaw this ending. He never meant for me to save my race from extinction. I was simply there to make sure that the innocent people at least get a chance to live to up to an age where they could find out who they were meant to be... Even though I could save everyone from being physically harmed, I could do nothing about the way they kept on exhausting our planet's resources and refusing to cooperate... They would have long since found a way to leave that planet and establish colonies on other planets, but as arrogance and distrust festered among them over the centuries, they simply couldn't work together and would always believe that each of them could achieve more while working separately and refusing to share their technologies and supplies... and so, they all ended up being the losers, in the end."

"My goodness..." Twilight held her hoof up to her mouth as her eyes began to show her sorrow. "I... I'm so sorry to hear that! It must have felt horrible seeing your people subconsciously destroying themselves without being able to do anything about it."

"No doubt, it would have felt terrible if it had happened sooner... but as the centuries went on, I began to resent my own people, just like they began to resent me."

"They resented you!?" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief. "But... why?" she asked in a tone both saddened and confused. "Weren't you always there to protect them without asking anything in return?"

"I was... but, like I said, my people grew very arrogant over time. They soon began taking me for granted. Over time, the "Thank you"s that I received for saving them turned into "Took you long enough"s... At first, I would often stay for a moment and get to know the people I saved, even often becoming friends with some of them, but eventually, I just started leaving without even waiting for their rebukes."

The more the ponies heard, the more their hearts began to ache from caring for their savior. Twilight hung her head in sympathy after hearing such a tale. "No wonder you began to resent them..." she whispered, right before lifting her head up again. "But isn't your task fulfilled now? Why do you insist on doing the same thing for us? You don't owe our kind anything!"

"Maybe it's simply because I want to... maybe I feel like your race actually deserves to be preserved, unlike my own." He paused for a moment to let the ponies think about that notion. "Or maybe it's just because I've gotten so used to it over the last three millennia that I simply don't know how to do anything else anymore," he added in a slightly less trustworthy tone than before.

"I..." Twilight paused, unable to find the right words. "Forgive my previous tone. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." Her friends walked closer to Archangel at this moment, forming a line, rather than a cone with Twilight in front. "We all owe our lives to you." The other five ponies nodded in approval. "All we really wanted was to just say "thank you""

"Thank you..." he slowly repeated. "Now there's a phrase I haven't heard in a very long time..."

"We would have said so earlier, but you never gave us the chance," Twilight explained. She continued after realizing that the guardian seemed to have no intention of adding anything, "It doesn't have to be that way anymore, you know," she said in a sincere tone and gazed into the darkness under Archangel's hood. "Many of us still fear you, but you could be a hero to the ponies here if only you showed them that they don't need to fear you... you could have friends here."

"Friends?" Archangel repeated after a short pause. "Do you really think that your kind would accept me as their friend?"

"Of course!" Twilight replied without hesitation. "Personally, I would be honored to call you my friend," she declared. Her friends also uttered a sound of approval at that instant.

Archangel didn't give any reply for some time. He slowly shifted his sights over each of the six ponies in front of him and finally gave an answer, "I'm afraid that's not going happen."

The smiles on the ponies' faces quickly turned to frowns. "I understand," Twilight whispered and hung her head. "Someone like you must find us immensely boring."

"Boring?" Archangel repeated, seeming actually surprised for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. He leaned towards them, frightening the most timid one of them. He stopped the motion for a few seconds and then started leaning towards the frightened mare at a much slower pace. He then slowly extended his hand and reached for her head, afterwards gently caressing her mane and rubbing under her chin. She seemed to be enjoying the gesture. She even closed her eyes and smiled warmly. The scene reminded him of how he used to play with kittens, back when he was still human. "On the contrary. I find you all very remarkable." After having said that, he abruptly released Fluttershy's chin and reclined against the tree again. "Which is exactly why it would be better if I didn't have a chance to get to know you better."

"Huh?" the ponies uttered.

"I don't understand..." Twilight said in confusion.

"Twilight..." Archangel whispered and hung his head. "Do you have any idea how many friends and loved ones I've had over the last three thousand years?" he asked, compelling Twilight to rub her chin as she gave into pondering upon the thought. "Where do you think they all are now?"

The meaning behind Arch's words dawned on Twilight at that moment. She raised her hoof, ready to answer, but she chose to hold her voice instead and hung her head... She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "You really miss them, don't you?" she quietly asked.

"Every day and every night," he replied with great sorrow in his tone. "Each friend I once had only ended up becoming another piece of the heap of memories that torments me whenever I try to think... and after having spent centuries of burying the ones I love..." He paused for a moment, finishing his sentence after a painful whimper. "I just don't know how many more can I take." He gave into his sadness and started crying.

His sorrow was so great that even the hearts of the ponies in front of him felt a small pain spike at that moment. The ponies tried to move closer to comfort him.

"Don't," he rejected them by holding up his palm. "The less feelings I have for you, the easier it will be for me when you..." He chose to leave his sentence unfinished.

"Why are you so worried about it now?" Rainbow Dash inquired. "We're still as young as ever. It's going to be a loooong time before you'll have to start worrying about that," she said with a smug look on her face.

"And pray tell me," Archangel interrupted her moment of pride. "How long has it been since I first arrived here?"

"Three years... why?" the blue pegasus asked with her eyebrow raised.

Arch paused for a moment to add a more dramatic feeling to his next sentence. "To me, it felt like it was just two days ago."

"What!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "How can that be true? There were so many things that happened during that time!"

"And that is exactly why I feel like time has moved at all."

"But... Huh?" Rainbow seemed even more confused than before.

"To me, time has become irrelevant. If there hadn't been any opportunities to aid you over these last three years, then I would've probably still felt like I had arrived just moments ago," he explained without a speck of joy in his tone. His words gave pause to the ponies.

"So... what you're saying is..."

"By the time you're all old and weary of all the trials of life, I will most likely only feel like I've just gotten to know you all better," he finished Rainbow's sentence for her.

None of the ponies dared say a word as they began realizing the painful truth in front of them. Apparently, the best way that they could help their savior was by simply ignoring him completely, just as his own people used to do.

"Please..." Arch eventually broke the silence. "Just let me be a alone... I appreciate you trying to help, but I'm afraid there just isn't anything you can do for me," he regrettably informed them, adding another short statement after a small pause, "Unless you can find a way to destroy me, that is."

"What!?" the ponies exclaimed.

"I've been around for far too long already and have grown very weary of living." As he said those words, the ponies actually got the impression that they were being said by an old stallion.

"But... how could we possibly do such a thing? Not only would it be virtually impossible, it would also be the most wicked of sins!" Twilight shouted and stomped her hoof on the ground. "You're our hero," she quietly added after calming her tone.

"A wise man once said..." He began reciting, "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." He paused to let the ponies ponder on the quote. "Do you truly want to risk having a villain as powerful as me?" he asked while leaning towards Twilight.

The purple alicorn looked back at him with sadness in her eyes, as well as a lot of confidence. "Without you, we would have already long since fallen before other villains." She took a few steps closer to her conversation partner. "And I simply refuse to believe that someone like you could ever turn evil. Not even after another three thousand years." Her confidence didn't waver as she spoke, and her sadness got replaced with a warm smile.

Arch waited some time before answering. As he kept his gaze on Twilight, he realized that her mind couldn't be changed. "So be it," he said and leaned backwards. Feeling like he had said everything there was to say, he made himself comfortable again and simply waited for the ponies to leave.

The ponies still couldn't just leave right away. Their hearts simply wouldn't let them... Nevertheless, they knew that they would have to do so, eventually. After exchanging a series of sad glances between one another, they slowly turned around and started heading back to the town.

Before leaving his sights, Twilight turned around to ask just one final question, "Are you sure this is the way you want it to be?" No verbal reply came from Archangel, but she saw him answer with a small nod. "If you ever change your mind..." leaving the obvious sentence unfinished, she turned around and followed her friends back to the town.

As the ponies left his sights, nightfall soon arrived, along with the soothing breeze that Arch would gladly let sail through his wings.

"All it was was just one little conversation... and yet, somehow, they've already managed to grow on me..."

Angel in the dark

And so, the routine went on as if the talk with Archangel had never even happened. For a moment there, the six ponies had almost accepted the thought that he would remain a stranger to them until their very last day... but it would seem that fate had different plans in mind.

"Angel!" Fluttershy called out to her pet bunny. "You get back here, this instant! You know how much I don't like it when you go wandering outside the cottage so late in the evening!" Putting on her assertive face, she flew after her elusive pet. "Angel!" she called out again. "Where are you going?" she asked and gasped loudly as her question answered itself. "Angel, no!" she shouted to no avail as she witnessed the pesky rodent running straight into the Everfree Forest. Her eyes became devoid of their former bravery as she landed near the edge of the forest. She stood there trembling for a while, but eventually mustered what little courage she had and took a deep, long breath to help herself remain calm. "I swear to Celestia, Angel, if anything happens to you..." Darkness engulfed her as she passed the fringe trees. Various noises coming from unidentified sources instantly came with it. "Or me..." She gulped loudly as she pressed on at a much slower pace.

"Aah!" she gasped at the sound of a cracking branch not far from her. Along the way, she couldn't help but get frightened by every single noise coming from the forest, be it a wicked howl or just a gust of wind. "Angel!" the pegasus suddenly shouted as she spotted the reason she was here for. She ran towards the rabbit as fast as she could, but as she got closer, her face suddenly turned pale and she pressed her forelegs firmly against the ground to help herself stop running, still sliding a few steps forward before finally stopping dead in her tracks. "A-A-Angel..." Fluttershy stuttered as her face met with the dreaded gaze and sharp teeth glaring right at her and her pet from the darkness. "Angel," she called her pet and started slowly backing away. "Back away. Now!"

Not requiring any further motivation, Angel bunny tucked his tail and ran away. "Angel!" Fluttershy shouted again. She was about to follow after him, but a malicious growl coming from behind her turned her body stiff. "A-A-Angel?" Gazing around herself, she realized that her pet was nowhere in sight anymore. All she saw was a pack of timberwolves coming at her from every side with hungry looks on their faces. Backing away would have no point, nor could she do so, even if she wanted to. The fear of her imminent demise had left her paralyzed... Not even her pet was nearby to give her the courage she needed. With one of the wolves already breathing in her face, and another's paw pressing her tail against the ground, she did the only the she could think of.

"Archang--" she closed her eyes and yelled at the top of her lungs. "El?" Before she could even finish screaming out the name, her savior had already arrived and turned her assailants into a pile of firewood at the blink of an eye. "Wait!" she exclaimed and extended her foreleg towards the guardian. "Please! Don't--" Just as quickly as he arrived, he disappeared, leaving only the breeze in Fluttershy's mane as her only companion. "Leave..." She hung her head in sorrow.

With her eyes set on the ground in front of her legs, she began recalling everything she had heard him say that one time they talked... She felt so sorry for him, and at the same time, she felt so pathetic knowing that the best way she can help him is by not doing anything at all... but... he just saved her life... and that wasn't even the first time, nor was it only her that he had ever saved... The feeling was tearing her apart. Were it not for Archangel, she would have just met a gruesome and extremely painful end. How could she possibly just ignore that? No! She wasn't about to stand for this! She shut her eyes tightly and started running back the way she came, barely managing to hold back a prolonged cry... It was high time someone showed Archangel a bit of kindness.

***

By the time Fluttershy reached Archangel, she had already given in to the pain in her heart and had begun to cry it all out. As she reached him, she didn't hesitate to throw her forelegs around him in a warm embrace.

No... why her? he asked himself. Of all the ponies here, why did it have to be her? "What seems to be the problem?" Archangel asked the wailing mare in his usual apathetic tone without even glancing in her direction.

"You saved me," she cried out.

"You make it sound like it was wrong of me to do so."

"Thank you..." Fluttershy whispered while still crying and nuzzling her savior. "Thank you so much!"

"As always, you are welcome."

After some time spent crying, Fluttershy wiped away the remainder of her tears and gazed upwards at Archangel's hooded head.

"Is there something else you wanted to say?" he asked after gazing into her heartbroken eyes.

"I just can't let you go on like this!" she shouted so gently that it sounded like a whisper to Archangel. "It breaks my heart to see you this way. All I want is to repay you somehow." She pressed her cheek against him again.

"As I already said." He turned his head away from her. "There isn't anything you can do for me."

"At least let me try!" she exclaimed in a desperate voice. "Please! I just want to see you happy... It's not fair how they all treated you back on your world! It doesn't have to be that way anymore! You deserve to be shown kindness, more than anyone!" With a new set of tears already forming under her eyes, she kept staring upwards until the guardian finally turned his head towards her again. "Please... I know there isn't much I can do, but if you would just give me a chance..."

No... Archangel told himself. You know there's only one way this can end. Send her away... she's no different from the others.

"Please..." she slowly repeated.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked in a tone much less impassive than before.

Delighted about the response, Fluttershy released her hold on Archangel and smiled at him with eyes no longer full of tears. "I know it's late, but maybe you would like to come over for some tea?" she kindly offered and then immediately turned her head sideways and let her mane cover her eyes. "That is, umm, only if you want to," she added while scuffing her hoof on the ground.

No. he told himself in his thoughts. No, you idiot! Send her away! You know this won't end well! Spare yourself from the unnecessary pain and-- "I would love to," he gave a warm reply and stood up.

Overjoyed about the way things turned out, Fluttershy let out an excited squee before leading the way. "Right this way," she instructed and started flying back towards her cottage.

***

Back at her cottage, Fluttershy's pet bunny had begun to grow nervous and was holding the door open to see if his owner was on her way back. He seemed overjoyed after noticing her coming back towards the cottage, but he immediately shut the door with a terrified expression and ran inside after seeing the companion following her.

"Now, Angel," Fluttershy addressed the cowering rodent after coming inside. "Don't be rude to our guest." She flew past him and her other frightened pets to start preparing some tea for herself and the visitor. "Archangel is just going to join me for a little tea party. There's nothing to be afraid of. In fact, he just saved me from some horrifying timberwolves. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here!" she explained while setting the table for the evening tea party. Her animals seemed to have calmed their anxiety and were now just staring at the cottage entrance with faces full of curiosity. "Why don't you come and..." Fluttershy lost her voice as soon as she realized that her guest of honor was much too large to simply walk into the cottage. "Oh dear..." she whispered and covered her mouth. "I-I-I'm so sorry! Please... give me a minute. I'll find a--"

"It's quite all right," Archangel calmly replied and took a long breath. All of a sudden, a bright flash of light came from his direction, forcing Fluttershy and all her animals to cover their eyes.

Fluttershy covered her mouth and gasped loudly after regaining her sight. After the bright surge of light had faded, Archangel was nowhere in sight, but in his stead, there stood a creature of similar origins, only much smaller and nowhere near as fearsome or majestic. He had no wings, and instead of shining armor, his entire body was covered by black clothes.

"It has been a very long time since I've let anyone see me like this," the mysterious creature said as it walked inside and headed towards the table where Fluttershy was at. His boots had a spur on the back, so they made a small, metallic noise on his every step. As he walked up to Fluttershy, he raised the front edge of his hat and let her gaze into his actual eyes for the first time since his arrival here.

"Wh-w... what?" The confused mare was at a loss of words.

"This is me in my human form," the visitor explained. "This is the image that enabled me to live amongst my own people without attracting too much unwanted attention. This is how I used to look before I became the way I was when you first saw me." Having explained himself, he gave her some time to ponder on the sudden revelation and went to take a seat at the table. "Care to join me?" he asked while staring at her with a sly smile on his face.

"Oh!" Fluttershy exclaimed after snapping out of her state of trance. "Yes, of course!" She flew over to the table and grabbed the teapot to pour them both some tea. "I'm sorry, it's just--"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he interrupted and picked up the cup that Fluttershy had just filled for him. "I should have warned you about what was going to happen."

Having poured the tea, Fluttershy took a seat and picked up her own teacup. She watched and waited for her guest to be the first one to take a sip, but all he did was hold the cup close to his face and stare inside it. "Is everything all right?" she asked in concern for his well-being.

Archangel gave his reply after a short pause, "It has been so long since I've last enjoyed any of the small things in life..." he said in a tranquil tone. "The scent of flavored tea has become all but new to me." He closed his eyes and inhaled the pleasant fragrance emitting from his cup. "I can't even tell what flavor is it."

"It's a special recipe of mine," Fluttershy replied with a modest smile. "Just try it." Archangel didn't hesitate to do just as the pony suggested. Just a tiny sip made the smile on his lips even more firm. "Do you like it?" she asked and took a sip from her own cup.

"It's amazing," he turned his smile towards her and answered. The two of them relished the moment while it lasted. After a few more sips, both their cups had been emptied out and Fluttershy got up to pour another round for each of them. As they engaged further in their little meeting, Fluttershy's animals couldn't help but curiously stare at them from behind the corner.

"Soo... what was your life like before you became who you are now?" Fluttershy inquired while pouring the tea. "I take it you used to live on a farm, somewhere far away from the big cities."

Archangel let out a quiet laugh upon hearing such a cunning remark. "I guess the clothes really do leave that impression, don't they?" he counter questioned. "Nay. I didn't have that privilege. I was raised in the heart of a big city, same as most folk... but even though my body was always there, my heart loved to always dwell somewhere far away from the fetid city air and cluttered streets. Every so often even on a farm."

"I bet you and Applejack would have a lot in common," Fluttershy added, making her conversation partner let out a warm laugh again.

"Perhaps I would," he replied and took a sip from the next batch of tea. "But, to be honest, I consider your way of life to be much more appealing."

"Oh!" The timid mare turned her head away from him and blushed. "T-thank you for saying that, but I'm sure you'd find my friends to be much more exciting to hang out with than me! You could soar the skies every day with Rainbow Dash. You could always be having a fun party with Pinkie Pie, and Twilight could teach you so much about magic!"

Archangel chuckled. "I've seen enough excitement for no less than ten lifetimes... A little bit of peace and quiet at the very heart of nature is all I need right now."

Those words made Fluttershy feel much warmer inside... She knew she wasn't among the most interesting or entertaining ponies in Ponyville, but she had hopes that she could at least convince Archangel to give a chance to all of her friends, as well... Against all odds, she actually managed to cheer him up all by herself. "I'm very glad to hear that," she said after a sigh of relief. "I was worried that you would consider me boring and wouldn't want to spend any time with me."

"How could you possibly think that?" Archangel immediately asked and leaned towards her, staring deeply into her eyes. "In all of my three thousand years spent on my own planet, I've never met anyone quite as kind, gentle and just plain amazing as you!" Well... apart from one other, that is, he reminded himself in his thoughts. "You are everything that my world was missing!"

Archangel's sudden confession took Fluttershy by surprise. She spent the first few seconds staring at him in slight shock, but her face quickly turned into a modest smile, accompanied with a strong shade of red on her cheeks. "Oh, you're just saying that," she turned her face away from him and waved her hoof at him. "I'm just a shy, boring, little--"

"You need to give yourself more credit, Fluttershy," he interrupted. "There are multitudes of ways in which one can seem appealing, and you are, without a doubt, a queen in your own field." Realizing that he was starting to take it too far -- mostly because of the fact that Fluttershy was now covering her entire face with her hooves in a desperate attempt to hide her vehement blush -- Archangel stood up and decided to take his leave. "I would love to stick around for another round of tea, but I fear that I may be keeping you up too long into the night," he said while heading towards the door. "I may not require any sleep myself, but that doesn't mean that I should also deprive you of yours."

"Wait!" Fluttershy called out before her guest could leave. "Would you like to do this again sometime? I really enjoyed our little talk," she admitted with her cheeks still a bit red.

This has gone on for long enough! Archangel's inner thoughts scolded him. It is not yet too late to set things right. Just leave now and you still might not feel anything on the day you bury her. Stop, before it's too late! There's no need for you to keep torturing yourself! Just say-- "Gladly," Archangel replied and walked outside.

Fluttershy immediately followed him and reached the door just in time to see him transform back to his immortal form and fly away. She and her animals all waved goodbye to him. After closing the door and going back inside, she sighed with joy after a job well done. Who would have ever thought that a few cups of tea was all that was needed to remind a three thousand year old immortal that there's much more to life than just feeling comfortable while reclining against a tree?

Fluttershy's attention was suddenly drawn towards Angel bunny, who was impatiently tapping his foot on the floor. "Oh! I'm sorry I've been neglecting you for so long, Angel. You're not hungry, are you? It's already past bedtime," she declared. Angel shook his head in disapproval. "Are you mad at me for keeping you waiting this long?" she asked and received another head shake of disapproval as a response, after which Angel pointed towards the door through which the guest had just left. "Archangel?" Fluttershy asked, confused about where this was going. "What about him?"

While still pointing one paw at the door, Angel pointed his other paw at Fluttershy, after which he drew his paws together around himself and warmly embraced himself.

"Yes, we're friends with him, and he's going to come visit us again sometime... At least, I hope he considers me his friend..." Angel shook his head again, after which he pointed towards the table with the tea set on it. "Well, I wanted him to feel at home and enjoy himself. That's what friends do for each other." Again, Angel only shook his head, afterwards beginning to imitate some of Fluttershy's actions and expressions during the moment she was blushing while Archangel said all the nice things about her.

"Oh!" Fluttershy exclaimed after finally realizing what Angel was insinuating. The former blush returned to her cheeks right away. "I-it's not like that at all! He was just being really kind to me and I'm really not used to such compliments. I'm sure it was just a simple friendly gesture," she explained herself, but Angel didn't seem too convinced. He simply crossed his paws and directed a sly grin towards her.

With eyes full of shock, Fluttershy inhaled as much air as she could take in with a single breath. "Are you saying that I... No!" She shook her head. "I... that's not the way I feel about him! He's a friend!" She broke eye contact with the bunny for a moment as her expression lost some confidence. "He did save my life more than once, so I guess I consider him to be more than just a friend... but he's not even the same race as me!" she suddenly retorted while pointing her hoof at Angel. "How could I possibly feel that way about him?"

Not willing to back down, the rabbit simply kept mocking his owner with the same cocky smile on his face. Fluttershy's cheeks were simply too red to believe a word she was saying.

"Now, Angel, I don't know what gave you the idea, but I assure you, Archangel is just a friend," she replied as calmly as possible and started walking away from Angel. "Besides, even if I did feel that way about him, there's no way that Arch could ever feel the same way about me."

When light rains from darkness

Angel bunny knew he was onto something, and Fluttershy's expression was all the confirmation he needed. However, were Fluttershy's feelings for Archangel really that strong? That was a question that not even she could answer, yet. There was no denying it -- she had feelings for him. Feelings that only grew stronger every time she saw him in action, always playing a part in making sure she and her friends were out of harm's way. She admired him and loved spending time with him. Not to mention, she always felt a lot safer when he was by her side. Alas, she dared not reveal her true feelings for him just yet. She feared what it might lead to, so she chose to keep her emotions to herself... And frankly, she had nothing against remaining nothing more than just good friends with him.

As time went on, the couple began to enjoy keeping one another company even more, and the more they got to know one another better, the more meaningful these little meetings became. It wasn't long before Archangel's conscience stopped scolding him and he just got so swept away by these simple yet thoroughly enjoyable moments that he even forgot all about his immortality for some time.

A few months after their first tea time together, two of Fluttershy's other friends happened to be in need of her during one of her moments with Archangel.

"Is it just me or does Fluttershy seem a bit differently lately?" Twilight asked.

"Beats me." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I haven't noticed anything."

"Could just be me..." Twilight muttered.

As the two ponies approached the cottage, Twilight was just about ready to knock on the door.

"Woah!" Rainbow Dash suddenly exclaimed while gazing through one of the windows.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, her hoof still ready to knock on the door.

"Get a load of this," Rainbow Dash quietly called her over.

"You know, it's really impolite to intrude on other ponies' privacy," Twilight said in a reproachful tone as she got closer to the bush near the window where her friend was at. "Especially one of your best friends... What could possibly be so..." Without closing her mouth after the last word, Twilight gazed at the sight inside the cottage with her eyes wide open. "Who is that?"

"More tea, Arch?" Fluttershy kindly offered.

"Arch!?" the two ponies outside the window exclaimed and immediately lowered their heads for a moment after realizing they were getting a bit too loud.

"Yes, please," the creature next to Fluttershy replied.

"Did I hear that right?" Rainbow Dash quietly asked. "Did she just say, "Arch"?"

"I think so..." Twilight replied with uncertainty and peeked inside the cottage again.

"Think he uses this as a disguise or something? Maybe it's some sort of form he takes on when he isn't fighting crime."

"Hmm..." Twilight rubbed her chin. "Now that you mentioned it, he would be much too large to enter the cottage in his Archangel form..." She paused for a moment to think about the notion.

"Lets save that question for later. Right now, I wanna know what in Equestria is he doing in Fluttershy's cottage!"

"So do I." Twilight nodded. "He sent us all away the last time we tried to offer him our friendship... Has he secretly been visiting only Fluttershy this whole time?"

"What do you think it means?"

"You know about as much as I do at this point."

The two ponies decided to let their business with Fluttershy wait for a bit and simply gazed at the event with much curiosity. Their eyes widened up when they saw Fluttershy give Arch a hug after he stood up, ready to leave.

"Oh, I do so enjoy our little moments together so much!" Fluttershy disengaged from the hug and stared into Arch's eyes. "Not even my best friends come to my tea parties this often."

Arch chuckled. "Everyone's got their preferences... Just don't think that this makes me a better friend than any of them."

"Of course!" Fluttershy immediately replied. "That wasn't what I meant! I love all of my friends! I don't know where I'd be without them. It's just--"

"Shh." Archangel silenced her by placing his finger over her mouth and smiled at her. "I'm just toying with you."

"Oh, you." Fluttershy hugged him one last time before letting him leave.

"Fluttershy seems to be quite fond of him," Twilight whispered to Rainbow Dash.

"Can't say the same about him," Rainbow Dash added. "He can't even return the hug!"

"Shh!" Twilight hushed her. "Get down!" She ducked and also took Rainbow Dash with her. They peeked outside of the bush just in time to see Archangel transform and take off. "Guess that answers our first question," Twilight said after observing the sight and stepped outside of the bush.

"Whaddaya say we go hear the rest right from Archangel himself?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Agreed."

***

Not long after finding his favorite spot by the entrance to the forest, Archangel heard two sets of hoofsteps closing in on him. "More questions?" he asked without looking in their direction.

"Yep," Twilight and Rainbow Dash replied simultaneously. Their expressions made it seem like they weren't too keen on having idle chit chat.

"You could have saved us all some time and just joined us by the table, you know," he replied slyly, making the two ponies widen their eyes. "Even if I hadn't heard your whispering or noticed your manes hanging over the windowsill, would you honestly expect me to believe that you coming here in search of answers just minutes after that event was a mere coincidence?" he explained and turned towards them to watch as the two ponies started rubbing the back of their heads and losing their sudden confidence. "I thought as much." He looked away from them again. "Ask away. I have nothing to hide."

"Khe khem..." Twilight cleared her throat. "Okay... Lets start with a simple one, shall we? Why were you having a tea party with Fluttershy after you yourself had clearly stated that you do not wish to have any sort of relationships with any of us?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, no longer afraid to sound insincere towards Archangel. "You didn't lie to us, did you?"

"Nay," he immediately replied. "My little meetings with her are only something that started occurring very recently." He paused for a moment after answering part of the question. "As for why I was there..." He let out a loud sigh. "I happened to save her from a hungry pack of timberwolves and she just couldn't let it go and insisted on somehow repaying me, and so I ended up in one of her tea parties and just happened to actually enjoy myself... so, I went to another one... and then another... and another, and, well, a few dozen tea parties later, here I am," he explained as bluntly as he could.

"Huh..." Twilight uttered after a moment of silent pondering. "Leave it to Fluttershy and her knack for dealing with big and terrifying creatures... umm, no offence," she added.

"None taken," Archangel calmly replied and chuckled.

Silence claimed the air, and during it, Twilight realized that she had overreacted and decided to take her leave. "Well... If that's all there is to it, then I guess--"

"Wait a minute," Rainbow Dash interjected. "I get the feeling there's more to this than just that."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, unable to follow her notion.

"Didn't you see how they treated one another back there?" Rainbow Dash reminded her. "Something tells me Arch here isn't doing this just for the sake of having a cup of tea... I mean -- he doesn't even need to drink anything! We saw him last years without a single sip of anything!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight yelled. "He's just trying to be polite! You know he's--"

"She's right," Archangel interrupted her, attracting all the attention towards himself.

"Huh?" Twilight seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"She reminds me of someone," Archangel explained. "Someone that I used to care for... someone with whom I didn't get to spend nearly as much time together as I would have wanted," he said with a touch of sorrow in his tone.

"Waaait a moment..." Rainbow Dash said in a tone of uncertainty. "Are you saying that you have feelings for Fluttershy?"

"Of course I do," Archangel instantly replied. "She's very enjoyable company."

"No, uhh... I mean like..." Rainbow Dash put on a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of her head. Not knowing how else to put it, she just took a deep breath and said her mind with unaltered words, "Do you love her?"

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted at her even louder than before. "Don't be ridiculous! That isn't even possible! Fluttershy isn't even the same species as him, and he just clearly stated that she reminded him of someone he once knew, meaning that it was obviously someone of his own species..."

As Archangel began pondering on the question Rainbow Dash had just asked him, Twilight's words only grew quieter and quieter in his head. All he could hear now was his own inner voice. By the gods... No... No... No! This can't be true! All of a sudden, he jumped up on his feet and directed all of his fury at the tree he was just reclining against, punching a massive hole in it and afterwards screaming so loud that it not only startled the two ponies into jumping away from him and preparing their wings for flight, but also scaring all of the nearby birds into flying away, as well as giving a feeling of unrest to most of the townsfolk. He kept breathing heavily while his hand still remained in the shaft of the tree. Rainbow Dash and Twilight could only watch and wonder about what could this possibly mean... With the state he was currently in, they couldn't help but keep a good distance away from him.

Finally calming his breathing, Archangel pulled his fist out of the tree and collapsed on his knees in front of the two ponies. "This can't be happening..." he said through a painful whimper. "I can't lose her again..." He gave into his sadness and began crying his heart out. Witnessing the white tears falling from the darkness under his hood, Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked closer to him to offer some comfort.

"I don't understand..." Twilight whispered to him.

"I love her," the guardian turned his head towards her and replied. "I love her more than anything..."

"But... why are you crying?" Twilight asked, clueless of the reason behind Arch's sorrow. "It's not like it's a bad thing... you could still--"

"Don't you see!?" he interrupted her with a sharp tone. "It's only a matter of time before I lose her, just like all the others I've ever cared for!" After the harsh reply, he hung his head and whispered in a much calmer voice, "And there's no one I've ever cared for as much as I did for her... The first time I lost her, I barely held it together to not unleash my full wrath upon humanity, and even though I managed to restrain myself, I never made another friend for the remainder of my days on that planet... If I have to go through that kind of pain again..." he paused for a moment to add more meaning to his next words. "Well... lets just say you might want to reconsider your decision about having me destroyed." The statement he just made caused the two ponies to gulp loudly from a sudden feeling of uneasiness.

"Twilight," Rainbow Dash took a few steps away from Archangel and called her friend over to her. "Could I talk to you for a sec?"

Twilight decided to not keep her friend waiting and quickly walked over to her and whispered, "What is it?"

"I know it's still going to be a long time before Fluttershy... you know..." Rainbow Dash lowered her head a bit and simply continued on with a saddened expression in hopes that Twilight picked up on what she meant. "But I still can't help but think that we've got a problem on our hooves."

"Gee, genius. What gave you that idea?" Twilight replied sarcastically. "Got any bright ideas on how we might solve this problem?" she asked in a tone that had little signs of faith in it.

"You know..." Rainbow Dash replied while rubbing the back of her head. "I did have one thing in mind..."

"Name it."

Rainbow Dash hesitated to reply and began stretching her sentences. "You know how you were once Celestia's student and did all those things to impress her and then eventually became a princess yourself..." she stared at her conversation partner with the same sheepish grin as before. Twilight, on the other hoof, could only widen her eyes as a response. "Yeah, I think you know where I'm going with this."

"So let me get this straight..." Twilight seemed unconvinced. "You want me to ask Celestia to turn Fluttershy into an alicorn?"

Without losing her silly expression, Rainbow Dash replied with a slow nod. "I mean, we all know that alicorns are immortal, so..."

"Are you crazy!?" Twilight shouted. She quickly calmed her tone and continued whispering. "I can't just walk up to the ruler of Equestria and ask her to make one of my friends into an alicorn! It's not up to me to decide such things! She has to earn that blessing herself!"

"Are you saying that you don't consider one of your best friends to be worthy of the same rank as you?" Rainbow Dash leaned towards Twilight with her brows furrowed.

"What? No!" Twilight shook her head.

Not losing her unfriendly expression, the blue pegasus pressed her hoof against her friend's chest. "Are you saying that you're a better pony than Fluttershy, just because you know more about magic?"

"Of course not!" Twilight retorted. "It's just..."

"Then what's the problem!?" Rainbow glared at her with reproach.

Twilight sighed. "I didn't mean to say that Fluttershy hasn't earned the right to become an alicorn princess. It's just that... Well..."

"Well?" Rainbow Dash repeated in an insincere tone.

"Well, if Celestia did consider her worthy, don't you think she would have already done so?" Twilight asked, causing her friend to pause while pondering on the thought. "And even if she did, why would she just go and make one of you five into an alicorn while leaving the rest of you the way you are! What about Applejack? What about Rarity? What about you?" Twilight pointed her hoof at Rainbow Dash.

"Me?" she exclaimed with her eyebrow raised. "Pfft. Who said I even wanted to be an alicorn? Immortality is totally not my thing," she said while avoiding Twilight's eyes. "Besides... I'd look really dumb with a horn."

"No argument there."

"Hey!"

Twilight giggled. "Back to the matter at hoof, I just don't think it's right to just go and ask the ruler of Equestria to elect another princess just because circumstances require it."

"Not even if it means saving her land from a villain we couldn't possibly hope to defeat?"

"You've got a point there..." Twilight lowered her head and started rubbing her chin.

"The least you could do is just ask... I mean -- what's the worse that could happen? She says "no"? At least then we'll know that this isn't an option anymore."

"All right," Twilight agreed. "I'll do my best to convince her, but I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you." She moved into position for takeoff. "In the meantime, do what you can to keep Archangel occupied."

"Me!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed while holding her hoof on her own chest. "But what can I--" Before she could finish her sentence, Twilight flew off without looking back. "Doh!" She furiously kicked a small stone, after which she took a deep breath to help calm herself down. "Eh, how hard can it be?" she asked herself and walked up to the broken angel still sitting on his knees. Just as she did so, the sheepish grin returned to her face, this time also accompanied by a stream of sweat coming from her temples. "Piece of cake..."

Both a blessing and a curse

Upon her arrival in Canterlot, princess Twilight was greeted by the royal guards who bowed to her and immediately opened the throne room door on her request. Shutting the door behind her, they resumed their guard duties.

"Princess Twilight?" Celestia addressed her, slightly surprised by the unexpected visit. "What brings you here?"

"My apologies for intruding, Your Highness." Twilight took a graceful bow before the princess. "But I have an urgent matter to discuss."

Celestia giggled. "Oh, Twilight." She got up from her throne and approached her most prized ex-student. "You're not intruding on anything, nor would you have to apologize even if you were." She walked closer to the smaller alicorn to greet her with a warm hug. "Now, what's this about an urgent matter?"

Turning her warm smile into a stern expression devoid of joy, Twilight gave a straight and clear answer, "It's Archangel." Celestia widened her eyes a bit upon hearing those words, but that was only a minor surprise for her. Especially compared to the one she was about to have. "And... Well, Fluttershy," Twilight added while rubbing the back of her neck.

"Fluttershy?" Celestia repeated. "What do you mean, Twilight? Has something bad happened to her?"

"No. Actually, it's..."

"Archangel hasn't been cruel to her, has he?" Celestia asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

"No, Your Highness. It's actually the exact opposite," Twilight replied sheepishly, still trying to muster the courage to give Celestia the full report.

"I beg your pardon?" Celestia noticed the uncertainty in Twilight's face. She placed her hoof over her shoulder to try and comfort her. "Whatever it is, Twilight, you don't have to hide it from me," she said with a sincere smile on her face while looking into Twilight's eyes.

Having received the emotional boost she needed, Twilight took a loud gulp and pushed out the words weighing her down so heavily, "Archangel is in love with Fluttershy!"

Despite being very composed and having readied herself for a real surprise, princess Celestia still couldn't help but cover her mouth and gasp at the sudden revelation. "Are you certain of this?"

Twilight nodded firmly. "He said it himself, right after scaring half the town with a demonic scream, punching a massive hole in a tree and collapsing to his knees and starting to cry," Twilight quickly explained and proceeded to catch her breath.

"This..." Celestia paused. "Well, I am certainly glad that you have chosen to personally inform me about this so soon... but which part of this exactly was so urgent that you simply had to travel all this way by yourself to inform me about it?"

"Well, princess... It's--"

"They're not getting married, are they?"

"What? No!" Twilight started shaking her head vigorously from the thought. "I... I still haven't told you everything," Twilight quietly added.

"Oh?" Celestia raised her eyebrows. "This is certainly turning out to be one of the most surprise-filled conversations I've had in some time," she said in an uplifting tone.

"I-I know it's a lot to ask, Your highness, and I wouldn't be asking this if there was any other way..." Twilight paused for a moment and shrank from uncertainty while looking up towards her beloved mentor.

"Twilight..." Celestia whispered her name and lowered herself to help Twilight stand up again. "Whatever it is, it's--"

"Could you please turn Fluttershy into an alicorn?" Twilight blurted out without waiting for the princess to finish, leaving her with her mouth still wide open. "Sorry..." She turned her face away from the ruler of Equestria and blushed.

A brief moment of silence claimed the room. Celestia's expression suddenly lost any sign of joy. "I see," she answered and closed her eyes. "Archangel is afraid of losing her, so he wants me to make her immortal so that they could be together forever."

"Actually, Archangel doesn't even know that alicorns are immortal. He simply suggested that we should reconsider our decision about destroying should Fluttershy leave his side one day... Making her an alicorn was actually Rainbow's idea."

"Destroying him?" Celestia's expression lit up with minor shock again. "Is he afraid that losing his love might turn him evil?"

Twilight nodded. "He told us about how Fluttershy reminded him of someone he used to know back in his own world, and how losing her almost made him turn evil... he also mentioned that he never made a single friend after the day she passed away," Twilight explained with much sorrow in her eyes. "He already lost the love of his life once... If he loses her again, he--"

"I understand, Twilight," Celestia quietly interrupted, her expression still devoid of happiness.

"So you'll make her an alicorn then?" Twilight asked with newfound confidence that was immediately washed away after seeing Celestia shaking her head.

"I'm afraid that such a feat is simply not within my power," Celestia sadly admitted.

"But... why?"

"Upon being granted the alicorn's blessing, every pony also receives the power to turn another, single pony into an alicorn," Celestia explained while keeping her eyes closed. She couldn't bear to see the sadness in Twilight's eyes after this revelation. "This restraint was designed for two major reasons. So that every alicorn would have the chance to also grant immortality to someone very dear to them, and also to make sure that someone doesn't go making everypony in Equestria into alicorns... This may come as a surprise to you, but your former foal sitter, princess Cadence was chosen by my sister, Luna." Celestia opened her eyes, lowered herself and placed her hoof under Twilight's chin, raising her head up to meet her eye level. "And you already know who my chosen pony was." Both alicorns shared a heartfelt smile between themselves.

"Wait a minute..." Twilight paused for a moment, her face suddenly getting lit up with excessive joy. Celestia nodded at her as she picked up on what Twilight was about to say. "I can make Fluttershy an alicorn myself!" She jumped up into the air from excitement. After a short moment, her cheeks lit up with an adorable shade of pink before she descended to the ground. "Sorry."

"However," Celestia interrupted her moment of joy. "There is another restraint to this power... In order to make sure that every newly appointed alicorn doesn't instantly make their choice and later come to regret that decision, every alicorn must wait at least twenty years before being able to choose a pony to be by their side until the end of their days."

"Twenty years..." Twilight repeated in a slightly nervous tone. "But... that's so long! I... Fluttershy will already be starting to get old by then, and..." Twilight collapsed after realizing a very dreadful fact. "My other friends... they..." She lacked the strength to finish her sentence. Her expression became painful to look at as tears started sliding down her cheeks.

"I know this isn't easy for you, Twilight..." Celestia walked closer to her, sat down and embraced Twilight with her wing. "I've lost ponies dear to me as well..." she whispered. Twilight turned her face towards her just in time to see a single teardrop leaving her chin and reaching the floor. "Everyone has to deal with hardship sooner or later, Twilight... immortals, more than anyone." She hugged the lesser princess one last time before saying her goodbyes. "When the time comes, I trust that you will have the strength to make the right decision. As for now... enjoy the time you have with your friends."

No longer heartbroken, Twilight stood up and wiped away what was left of her tears. "Thank you, princess Celestia." She bowed before her mentor and started backing away from her, waving just before turning around to make her leave. Naturally, Celestia waved back.

***

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville...

"Soo..." Rainbow Dash tried to start a conversation with the Archangel. "You like... racing?" she asked while staring at him with a wide grin. "Betcha can't beat me to that cloud!" She pointed her hoof towards the sky and suddenly just dashed away. "I win!" she shouted from a distance. Realizing that she was the only one playing, she descended back down. "You weren't even trying, were you?" she asked in a grumpy tone. "That's it. I'm outta here." Just as she was about to take off, she saw her purple friend returning from her ordeal. "Twilight!" she called out her name.

"Hey!" Twilight greeted her as she landed near her. "I'm guessing you didn't have much luck cheering him up..." she said after noticing Archangel still sitting on his knees.

"No..." Rainbow Dash gave a sulky reply and crossed her forelegs. "This guy is unbreakable! I've tried every trick in the book to cheer him up! I've been working my flank off here while you were gone, but it just feels as though I'm talking to a brick wall!" she exaggerated. "Any luck with Celestia?"

"You could say that..." Twilight replied slowly while avoiding eye contact.

"She isn't going to turn her into an alicorn, is she?"

"She won't have to," Twilight said while shaking her head. "I can do it myself!" she happily declared.

"You can!?" Rainbow's face lit up with mass excitement. "That. Is. So. Awesome!" She grabbed her own cheeks and jumped up in the air through a joyful squee.

"But I can't do it right away," Twilight quietly added, wiping most of Rainbow's excitement away.

"Why not?"

"Every alicorn has to wait at least twenty years before being ready to elect another alicorn, and she can only ever choose one other pony. That's why Celestia wasn't able to do it."

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash descended. "Well... that's kinda lame."

"What are you two talking about?" the archangel interjected. "What's this about something called an alicorn I keep hearing?" he asked in a rather demanding tone.

Twilight cleared her throat before explaining. "An alicorn is a pony that can both fly and use magic. The alicorns are essentially princesses in charge of maintaining a certain subject for the good of Equestria, such as love, friendship, the sun, the moon--"

"And you want to make Fluttershy into one of these... alicorns... Why?"

"So she could be by your side, forever -- duh! It's what you wanted," Rainbow Dash pointed out in a not-so-polite manner.

"What!?" Archangel exclaimed.

Twilight nodded in approval. "Turns out, I can--"

Without waiting for her to finish, Archangel jumped forward, grabbed Twilight by her neck and held her up to his hooded face. "And you went and tried to find out a way to make her immortal, without even seeing what she has to say about all this!?" he screamed at her with unbridled fury and stared her down. Twilight could almost swear she could see his eyes behind all the layers of darkness under his hood.

Barely able to draw breath, Twilight pointlessly struggled to free herself and tried her best to say something. "I... was... going... to..."

"Let her go!" Rainbow Dash shouted at the out-of-control guardian. Miraculously, he obeyed her and actually released his hold on Twilight, letting her fall to the ground. Rainbow Dash immediately flew over to her downed friend to help her get back up on her hooves. "What is wrong with you!? She was trying to help you!"

"By inflicting an eternity of suffering upon another innocent creature!? Even worse -- one of her own friends!?" Refusing to calm his tone, Archangel drew his sword and pointed it towards the two ponies. "A single lifetime is often all it takes to realize that immortality is nothing but a wicked curse, so who are you to be going around handing down such verdicts!? Do you have any idea how painful can an eternity be!?"

"No..." Twilight coughed a few times before she could breathe another word. "But I guess I'll have to find that out the hard way," she insinuated.

"Forgive me..." Only just now realizing that the pony before him was one of the mentioned alicorns, he finally calmed his tone and apologized. "All these years have rendered me a bit... insensitive."

"It's fine..." Twilight replied and coughed a few more times.

"Yeah, right..." Rainbow Dash added in an unforgiving tone.

"It's okay, Rainbow... I'm fine." Balancing herself on her friend's back, Twilight got back up on her hooves. "You have to understand, all we wanted was to help! By making Fluttershy an alicorn, we thought that--"

"If I wanted her to become an immortal, I would have already done it myself!" Archangel interrupted in an unfriendly manner.

"Wha..." Twilight uttered. Both she and Rainbow Dash widened their eyes.

"The breath of immortality," Archangel replied. "A final parting gift to me from the god of my world... He trusted me to not misuse it..." He hung his head before adding, "And so I kept it a secret for all of those three thousand years..." After having said that, he went back to his favorite tree and simply lost hold of his body, letting it just slump to the ground in a sitting position. The pegasus and alicorn in front of him couldn't breathe a word for quite some time. Their mouths were agape and their eyes couldn't be any more open.

"You... chose to be alone?" Twilight asked, still maintaining her bewildered expression. "But... you could have made the love of your life immortal, too! You could have had someone to spend those years with!"

"And what then!?" Archangel retorted. "I wouldn't be able to take her with me when the time came! She would have stayed there without me and would have eventually died along with the rest of the filth poisoning my planet!" he shouted at the ponies, forcing them back into their state of stupor.

"You... you... I..." Twilight grabbed her head, unable to process Arch's words. "I can't believe this... You knew you'd have to spend the rest of your days alone, and you still cared for her so much that you decided to not make her suffer the same fate you did?"

"A wise man once said..." Archangel hung his head as he began to recite, "If you truly love someone, set them free..."

"If they come back they're yours," Twilight finished the quote for him. Archangel instantly shot his head up and looked at the alicorn who was now looking at him with the warmest of smiles on her face. "I don't know about you, but to me this seems a bit too uncanny to be just a coincidence... you two must be meant for one another."

"But... she would live forever... she would have to endure the same pain I did... I can't possibly make her go through that!"

"It won't be the same!" Twilight replied in a tone overflowing with confidence. "She'll have you by her side the whole time... It was only ever painful for you because you were alone all those years."

"But... what if she doesn't want to live forever?"

"Uugh!" Rainbow Dash facehoofed herself. "Would you just go there and tell her how you feel about her already? All this love talk is making my head hurt." She began rubbing her head from both sides.

Deciding that he had been stalling for long enough already, Archangel stood up and walked up to the two ponies. He knelt on one knee before them and whispered something, right before taking off, "Thank you."

The guardian's angel

Later that afternoon, Fluttershy was busy tending to her animals when she got slightly startled by an unexpected knock on her door. "Huh? I wonder who could that be," she said out loud as she approached the door. Upon opening it, she was surprised to see the same guest that had left her cottage just earlier that day. "Archangel?" she addressed the creature that had already taken on its human form.

"The very same." He chuckled. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to have another tea party with me, would you?" he asked as politely as possible.

"Two on the same day? And with such a short interval?" Not staying surprised for long, her expression quickly turned into a glee-filled smile. "You must really love the tea I make!"

"Indeed, I do," Archangel answered and smiled back at her.

"Oh, yes! Please, come on in." She stepped away from the door and let the guest inside. "Oh! Silly me. I haven't even got any tea prepared for the occasion," she regrettably informed him and started flying towards the kitchen. "Wait here! I won't be long. Let me just--"

"Acutally..." Archangel interrupted her. "The tea can wait... There's something I need to tell you," he quietly said while looking into her eyes without a trace of his former joy left in his face.

"Oh?" Fluttershy uttered while looking back at him with a confused expression. "Is something wrong?"

Archangel shook his head and sighed before slowly answering, "I know we haven't known each other for that long, but..." He moved closer to her. "I've started to care for you..." He took her front hooves in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. "I care for you more than anything or anyone I've ever known... When I'm beside you, I feel alive again."

stunned by the sudden change of attitude, the pegasus kept staring at the man in front of her with her mouth half open and her wide eyes fixed on his eyes. After a few seconds of sharing a strong bond between their eyes, her expression melted into a timid smile. "I care for you too, Archangel," she gently answered.

After hearing such a heartwarming response, the man's face lit up with cheer. "Would you like me to be by your side until the end of our days?"

"Of course I would," Fluttershy didn't hesitate to reply. The joy in her face also didn't waver.

"And what if our days together were to never end?" he whispered and watched as her expression regained its former state of confusion. "If I were to tell you that I could grant you eternal life... Would you accept?" he clarified.

"Y-you really mean that?" Fluttershy asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes." Archangel nodded. "Your life has become so precious to me that I feel like whatever number of years it still has ahead of it simply isn't enough," his grip on her hooves grew slightly tighter, and his eyes seemed like they were on the verge of shedding tears of happiness.

As Fluttershy kept staring into his eyes that were devoid of lies and uncertainty, time began to slow itself down in front of her eyes, and the world around her seemed to temporarily fade from existence... Immortality... Not exactly something that Fluttershy had been chasing after... or even something that she had been thinking about, to be honest. To her, life was a wonder in need of enjoyment, and never did she ever think that a lifetime wouldn't provide enough time to enjoy each and every one of them... but what if the amount of wonders that you could witness was quite literally endless? What if she had a chance to witness each and every single one of them as they emerge? ... Would they be worth seeing if it also meant seeing so many wonders that came before it sink back into the ground from whence they came? She felt like she could be trapped in her current state forever, but as she felt the loving grip of her savior's hands warming up her hooves, she instantly returned back to her body with only two words on her mind.

"I would." She nodded.

No words could express the feeling that coursed through Archangel's heart the moment he heard those words. He hung his head for a moment to hide his excessive joy and tears. After a short moment, he lifted his head back up, transforming himself back to his immortal form right before letting Fluttershy witness the happiness in his face. "Are you certain about this?" he asked, just in case. "Once it's done, there's no going back." Fluttershy replied by closing her eyes and slowly nodding her head. After seeing her do so, Archangel placed one hand behind her head and the other one on her back and pulled her closer towards himself. "Then close your eyes," he whispered.

After his beloved pony did as he had instructed, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled at her. Just as he did so, his breath became visible in the form of pure, cerulean energy. As the energy engulfed Fluttershy's face, she inhaled as much of it as she could get in one breath. Her mouth stayed open, and her eyes also popped wide open. She seemed to be struggling with keeping it in for a moment and could hardly breathe, but the dreaded sight that made Archangel's heart skip a beat lasted no more than just a few seconds.

"How do you feel?" he asked in a nervous tone as soon as Fluttershy's face regained its tranquility.

"Alive." Fluttershy chuckled.

"Are you sure this was right?" Archangel asked, sounding even more anxious than before.

"Yes," she replied with a smile filled with pure confidence and warmth.

"Did I ask too soon?"

"No!" Fluttershy shook her head. "It's fine. Really! I--"

"It was too soon..." he murmured. "I knew I should have waited longer! Darn it! Why couldn't I--" Before he could utter another sound, the pegasus in his arms jumped towards him and wrapped her forelegs around his neck in an embrace so warm and gentle only someone like her could pull off...

Archangel nearly lost control over his body at that moment... This wasn't the first time he was hugged by someone he loved, nor was this the first time that he got a hug from Fluttershy herself... but something about this moment still seemed different... It then occurred to him just what it was. All of the other times he felt this warm embrace, he felt emptiness... He felt like there just wasn't any point to it, because he knew that it would end some day and never return... but now... For the first time in over three thousand years, he could actually feel the true meaning behind this gesture... because he knew that it would last.

Finally regaining consciousness, he requited the favor and also placed his arms behind her, gently rubbing her back with one hand and caressing her mane with the other. He let out a long and trembling breath as the pain that his heart had been keeping locked up for many centuries left his body at an instant.

How could I have not seen this... he asked himself in his thoughts. I should have known this better than anyone! All this time, all those years I spent thinking that the world needs an angel to help it live... Turns out, all I ever needed to be able to truly live was an angel of my own.

Through the eyes of friendship

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Rainbow Dash asked as the six ponies made one last stop before approaching the visitor. "I mean..." She rubbed the back of her head. "Maybe he just really wants to be left alone."

"We've let him be alone for far too long already," Twilight replied, her tone both confident and determined. "I need to know why!" She stomped her hoof on the ground as her voice grew louder. "From what I've seen, he could have taken over Equestria without even breaking a sweat! I mean..." She glared at her friend. "Have you forgotten what he did to Tirek!?"

"Don't remind me..." Rainbow Dash whispered, avoiding Twilight's fierce gaze. "Not even I wanted to hurt him that bad."

"Well, don't you at least want to know why he did that?" Twilight leaned towards her conversation partner, forcing her to re-establish eye contact. "He could have done that to any of us! He doesn't even know us! He's never talked to any of us! He's so powerful that even Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra dare not show their faces around here again because of the sheer fear of what he might do to them, and yet, all this time he's been acting as though he's just a mindless slave to the ponies of Equestria!" With every sentence said, she leaned more and more towards the pegasus, up to the point where she was standing on just two legs and the pony in front of her had nearly sunk into the ground.

"Okay, okay!" Rainbow Dash retreated. "I get the picture. Jeez... I never said I wasn't curious myself. It's just..." She paused for a moment, drawing the attention of all her friends towards her. "As hard as it is to admit... after all the things I've seen him do..." She gulped loudly as she struggled to get the words out of her mouth. "Even I'm afraid of him." She hung her head with regret, afterwards quickly lifting it back up and adding in a not-so-convincing tone, "Just a bit."

"I know what you mean, sugarcube." Applejack comforted her friend. "He's been there to help save me and my farm plenty of times, and even just seeing him still always gives me the willies!"

"Well, umm, he's not that sca--"

"I must say, darling, I have to agree," Rarity interjected. "Even I would have gladly kissed my savior's hooves after getting liberated from getting dragged down into an underground tunnel by those filthy diamond muts!" With a furious expression, she clenched her hoof as she recalled her most repugnant acquaintances, but her face lost its anger quickly. "But after I saw him... I... I just..."

"Froze up?" Pinkie asked and continued after seeing Rarity reply with a slow nod. "Eh, I guess I know what you mean." She sat down with an impassive expression on her face and crossed her forelegs.

"Umm, I didn't think he was--"

As if deaf to Fluttershy's voice, Pinkie continued, "I mean, he didn't even let me throw a party for him! Ever!" the pink pony exclaimed as she pushed her forehead against that of her fashionista friend's and bulged her eyes out towards her. "And I tried so many times with so many parties! A welcome party! A welcome back party! A "Thanks for saving me from a giant falling boulder" party! Even a "Totally not a party" party! And he was always gone before I even got chance to sing him a song! What's up with that?" She calmed her voice and crossed her forelegs in frustration. "I really thought he'd fall for that last one."

"Well, maybe he was just--"

"As brutal, scary and unfriendly as he may be, Equestria still owes him a debt we can never repay," Twilight persuaded her friends.

"But... he's not unfr--"

"Lets go, girls," Twilight said and marched forward, rallying her friends up behind herself. "I'm not leaving until I get my answers." As they slowly approached the mysterious creature, Twilight recalled her own experiences with him.

I will never forget how he first arrived to Equestria... It wasn't long after that incident with Nightmare Moon. One day, the heavens themselves just got split in half, and after a massive bolt of lightning had struck the ground near our hooves, we saw him emerge from the light completely unscathed... Twice as tall as our oldest alicorn princesses. His face covered by a hood. His body clad with armor of gold brighter than the sun and silver more majestic than the moon... Not to mention -- the wings on his back that stretched so wide that even fully grown dragons could barely compare ... We had never seen anything like him before, so it was only natural that we assumed the worst as we saw him trudging towards us. Rainbow Dash was the first one to act. Without a second of consideration, she just flew up and kicked him... Poor girl... Can't say I've ever seen anypony stub their hoof so hard. Twilight's face suddenly filled up with sorrow.

As if nothing had happened, he just kept on marching towards us... We weren't about to take any chances. Me, Celestia, Luna and a few other unicorns started shooting at him with our horns... To our utter awe and dismay, he simply caught all of our bolts with his hand... The first round of shots seemed to at least inflict some burns on his skin, but they vanished just as quickly as they appeared... As if that wasn't bad enough. When we tried again, our magic seemed to have no effect whatsoever! A slight feeling of anxiety got seeped into Twilight's mind upon recalling this part of the memory.

"I suffer. I endure. I adapt."

I will never forget those words from him... The way he said them... he sounded so... tormented... I'm still not entirely sure about the purpose of those words, but I'm certain they had something to do with the way his skin just became immune to our magic after the first few bolts... Not knowing what else to do, we all bowed before him and hoped he would show mercy.

"There's nothing that your kind can do to hurt me, I'm afraid."

We began to tremble from hearing his ominous voice. We thought that he would be the beginning of all our worries... but as we lifted our heads up and opened our eyes again, we saw him moving away from us. Unable to control my curiosity, I followed him for a bit. Before long, I saw him approach the Everfree Forest. He didn't go in, however. He simply walked up to a rather large tree, sat down and reclined against it... None of us knew what to make of all that, so we watched him. We watched him for hours on that day, and even after that day, we still checked up on him, from time to time... but no one ever saw him move an inch... Well, at least not until the day that we got attacked by the hydra.

"You have to take the leap of faith!" Pinkie shouted from across the chasm.

I don't know what I was thinking... but I wasn't about to become hydra food... I was so young back then. I could have easily teleported over the chasm if the event would repeat itself now. Twilight shook her head in slight shame. I still remember that moment so clearly. For a moment there, I was sure that I would reach that pillar, but the moment I realized that I won't make it, my heart nearly failed me before I even reached the bottom of the chasm... I closed my eyes and screamed my lungs out in fear of the worst, but I didn't feel any pain after that. I opened my eyes to make sure I was still in this plane... and that was when I saw him...

I stared at him for so long. I just couldn't believe my eyes when I realized that it was the same creature that we had feared so greatly for months, even despite the fact that he never even moved... Why in Equestria would he help me!? I had no clue... He carried me in his arms as gently as a mother holds her child, and he placed me back on the ground near my friends with the same kind of grace... I... I still couldn't stop staring at him with that dumb look on my face after that. When I finally came to my senses, I felt like I should at least thank him, but before I could breathe a word, he was already gone... The speed at which he flew off was beyond any known words. I couldn't even tell if he flew or just teleported!

I remember hearing Fluttershy saying that he saved her from that bully of a griffon that used to be Rainbow's friend, and apparently he also saved Rarity from a bunch dogs that liked to live in underground caves, but for me, that was the last time I got to saw him until the day that chocolate milk started raining from the skies. Twilight closed her eyes and hung her head. Her expression was painful to look at. I can't believe what Discord did to them... I never thought I'd see the day I would loathe my own best friends... Every single part of me wanted to tear Discord apart for what he did. Just as all hope seemed lost and I was about to tell my friends that I never want to see them again, he appeared out of nowhere, just like last time. He didn't hesitate to grab Discord by his throat and carry him half a mile up in the sky... I don't know what he said to him up there, but whatever it was, it scared Discord so bad that he instantly turned everything back to the way it was and even begged us for forgiveness... Funny... One moment I want nothing more than to blast twenty holes in him, but then, just like that, we're suddenly his new best friends.

He did about the same thing with King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis, except they simply tucked their tails and ran instead of sticking around to try and beg for our forgiveness... He saved us from dragon raids, timberwolves, fruit bat invasions. He even made his mind clear on what he thinks about the Flim Flam brothers' wacky contraption. Twilight giggled. That may have been a bit harsh, but boy did Applejack enjoy seeing the look on their faces after that... Oh! And the black plants coming from the Everfree Forest that seemed impervious to anything that we had to throw at them, he simply cut through them like butter! He moved much faster than the plants could spread and cleared all of Ponyville from them in a matter of seconds! That was absolutely astonishing! At that moment, all my doubts about him being even remotely evil vanished without a trace! I was certain that he was the very epitome of all things good and pure and didn't have a single thorn on his heart... but then Tirek decided to invade Equestria.

We had already pinned all of our hopes on him. Everything just seemed so desperate... I traded the combined magic of the alicorns of Equestria for just one last chance to be with my friends, but Tirek didn't seem intent on letting us enjoy the moment... As all seven of us joined together for one last hug -- Discord included -- he walked up to us with only one sinister thought in his mind... He wanted to wipe out the last hope that Equestria still had for survival.

"Pathetic," Tirek said as he looked down on them and lifted his foreleg up to stomp them.

But just moments before he got a chance to turn us into dust, our savior arrived, grabbed him by his horns and carried him way up in the sky. We gazed at the sight with wide-eyed excitement. We were just about ready to start cheering for him, but then, what I witnessed changed my opinion about him forever...

CRACK

"Aaaaaaaaagghhh!"

First, the skies echoed with the sound of Tirek's horns getting torn off, followed by his diabolic screams of pain, and lastly, the sound of impact that rose up from Tirek's collision with the ground after a fall so high it took nearly half a minute to end... We gazed at the fallen centaur for quite some time. It was no surprise that the creature that did that to him was long gone before we gazed back up into skies... Out of the kindness in our hearts, we went closer to Tirek to see if he was still breathing... Miraculously, he had survived, and even though he had just tried to end our lives mere minutes ago, we still couldn't help but feel sorry for him as we saw him lying there and wailing from the pain... When he finally got back up, we realized that he had lost all his powers along with his horns. We felt our own powers return, while he had shrunk back to his initial size.

It would seem that his horns served a purpose similar to that of unicorn horns, thus, he had been rendered powerless for good... Not just that, he also seemed... different. As he got up, we saw his face fill up with utter sorrow and regret. It seemed as though the evil from his heart had been extinguished along with his powers. We felt like sending him back to his prison would just mean rubbing salt in the wound, so we decided to let him walk free. He thanked us and left, saying that he would find his brother and apologize to him, admitting that he was the real betrayer out of the two of them... Strange... Our savior gave all of our enemies a chance to run or redeem themselves without inflicting any serious injuries, but with Tirek... Was that really the only way there was to make sure that Tirek would never try to take over Equestria again? Even if so, that was simply not the way that things are done here in Equestria! We don't just mutilate anypony! Not even our arch enemies!

I don't know who he is or what purpose does he serve, but I do know that he is more powerful than I can even imagine, and that, for some reason, he only ever uses that power to assist ponykind... even if his methods are sometimes a bit... controversial to ours.

I've waited long enough to find out that reason. I'm going to get my answers even if it kills me! With an expression full of unwavering confidence, Twilight stopped when she had come close enough to start a conversation with the creature. After all... if it weren't for him, I would have been dead long ago anyways.