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.