"The Angel"
By Vigilance99 (https://pastebin.com/u/Vigilance99)

URL: https://pastebin.com/dsXRZTfr
Created on: Wednesday 29th of January 2014 07:07:42 AM CDT
Retrieved on: Sunday 25 of October 2020 10:16:53 AM UTC


El Malak [Solar Light]
Pegasus Male
Ascendant [Paladin/Cleric]
Talent: +2 Blast

Skills:
Pegasus Flight [Racial]
Dogfighting [Racial]
Empower Weapon [Multiclass]
Blast [Evil]
Heal
Compassion

Inventory:
Golden Platemail Armor
Hierophiete [Magic Greatsword]
Belt Pouch of Holding [Rope, Food, Water, First Aid, Tents,  
Sleeping Bags, Books, Scrolls, Maps, Spare Clothing, Robes,Bits,  
Etc]

Traits:
Solar Light was born in Saddle Arabia, far to the south, past  
the Bad Lands, through the desert. The son of two Earth Pony  
peasants, he was mired even in his childhood. His wings came in  
too large and too bulky, far in excess of bulk for his small  
size, such that as a foal he could wrap himself in his pinions  
for warmth. And worse yet the cities of the western desert knew  
not of pegasi, and flying things were there unheard of. Though  
in every other feature the young creature was perfect. His coat  
was pure white, his mane long and golden, flowing over his  
shoulder in shining locks that glimmmered in the daylight. His  
parents were nomads, who wandered with a tribe of Arabians who  
were called called Ahl al-Youm, the People of Day, though they  
could not remember why. 

The young stallion grew quickly in the desert. He learned the  
way of getting food when it is scarce, and how to find water  
where others would not see water. He learned the names of many  
things, and was talk to read and to write by the merchants, for  
the boy was clever and good at counting, and honest besides [a  
thing of note, for the Element of Honesty is nearly unknown in  
the cities of the western deserts]. One evening, as he lay in  
his tent, a poisonous serpent slithered into his tent as he lay,  
and bit him on his neck. For three days the boy lay innert and  
in delirium, knowing not if he was alive or dead. On the fourth  
day he heard a voice telling him to get up, and head to the  
place it would show him. And so, though not in the body, Light  
headed through the deserts to the north, till he came upon a  
cave which is called Hikmah, for it was a Palace of Wisdom.  
There the voice appeared to him as a spirit in white, with the  
sun at her head and wings that filled the cavern. Spirits of  
fire rose and fell around her, going up into Heaven and down  
into Tartarus, speaking in strange languages and calling to one  
another. Then also did he see a great black shadow consume the  
scene, and a large warrior in gold standing before the shadow,  
his eyes with rage.

When he awoke he was in his tent, alive, the poison had left  
him. He picked up his stick and marched, for his tribe had left  
him alone, with only his parents with him, for they feared they  
would die without water if they lingered longer. A day hence  
they came upon the tribe, surrounded by raiders. When the young  
Solar saw what was becoming of his people, his rage filled him,  
and taking his stick he took to the air, flying at his foes and  
striking them till they died or fled, saying praise be Celest,  
the Compassionate, the Merciful, though he knew not what he was  
saying. When the Ahl al-Youm saw that Light was a warrior, and  
spoke with conviction also, and that he flew through the air  
[which nopony in all the cities of the western desert could do],  
they named him El Malak, because he was angelic in their sight,  
and took him for their leader.

Thus did the boy grow to stallionhood, leading the merchants  
through all the cities of the western desert, absorbing their  
wisdom and taking their knowledge into himself, and learning the  
thrill of the Sandworms surfacing at morning, and the cool light  
of dusk at the capital of Jannah and the dancing of the veiled  
mares, and learning the proper way to hold a sword and fight an  
enemy without killing him [for Malak was compassionate and kind  
and loathed violence in all forms save when necessary]. When at  
last he came to the age of reason, he left his people to the far  
north, for he was overcome with visions calling him onward. So  
beginning his pilgrimage, he took only his sword and his cloak,  
and headed again to the cave that is called Hikmah. There again  
he saw a vision, of three lights in a ring, one white, one blue,  
and one pink. A purple light started to rise to join it, and  
others trailing, but again the scene was swallowed in blackness.  
He heard a spirit calling to another light in the east, beyond  
the sun's resting place, saying "How long shall it be until all  
these things are fulfilled?", and another answering saying  
"There will be three thousand evenings and mornings, and then  
Darkness will come from the Icy North, beyond the Gates of  
Firdaws.".

His head burning his vision, and his understanding failing him,  
El Malak flew past the farthest city, and into the Bad Lands,  
where dragons are. Finding the land hospitable, he tarried,  
living there for three years stretching his massive wings over  
the canyons and plateus, and living on berries and nuts. During  
this time he came across many creatures of the wild, and slew  
them or drove them off. But after over one thousand days, the  
voice spoke to him again, as he laid down to rest, calling to  
him from his camp fire. The voice said "A fallen angel you will  
be, if you tarry here. Head to the north, for rightly is the  
canyon behind you called the Gates of Firdaws. Get up and go to  
the land of your fathers, for doom is coming from the Icy North,  
which is cursed by a Shadow".

And so again Malak headed north, until he reached Equestria, the  
land of his fathers. When he saw green grass, and rivers that  
flowed in all seasons, and beasts that sang and played instead  
of kill, and cities that stood in the sky, he fell down and  
worshipped, praising the sky and the moon and the air and the  
flowing waters [because the Arabians of the cities of the  
western deserts knew not the names of any gods besides these],  
and most of all he praised that Voice which called him onwards,  
for it had indeed let him to Firdaws, which in the language of  
his people is Paradise.

As he wandered, covering in a robe of yak's fur, and holding a  
sword curved like a moon, into this land, he did eventually come  
across a group of traders wandering through the woods, and,  
being hungry, went to meet with them. Now quite obviously when  
the traders from Appleloosa saw a deranged and large wingd  
pegasus coming at them, with long ragged hair and a dirty robe,  
they did panic and flee, forcing the Angel to give chase. 

Till quite by chance a group of Paladins, who swore their souls  
to the Sun and the Moon and Love, seeing this scene, took to the  
air and battled him. El Malak fought with muscle and sinew, and  
his great wings which bore him aloft with greater might then the  
tiny appendages of his fellows, but eventually he was caught and  
bound, and taken north to Canterlot to be tried. By sheer  
chance, a wizard lived in Canterlot, young in years, who spoke  
the obscure and ancient tongue of the Ahl al-Youm, and gave word  
to the Princess what he had said and heard and understood, the  
Voice that had called him hence from so very far. Right away was  
Solar Light freed and bathed and given bread and cheese and  
fruit to eat, and red wine from the Unicorn Valley to drink, and  
water also, and he rested in the palace for three days, and  
things went well with him. On the evening of the third day,  
Celestia called the strange pilgrim to her, and using magic  
asked him to explain all that had happened that called him there  
from so far, and being told, her thoughts shook with fear, for  
the shadow in his vision was called Sombra, and it was a  
corruption and a death to all ponykind, but she herself stood  
stoic. El-Malak was to be educated in all the wisdom of  
Equestria and all the magic of Friendship, and also in the ways  
of the knights of the Sun. And when the Angel asked the name of  
his benefactor, who rewarded him so highly for delivering such  
pedestrian news, he fell down and worshipped, for at last he  
recognized the Voice that called him hence, though the Voice  
itself did not remember him. And he sang out praise be to the  
Sun which gives the Day, and gave me Life and Dreams and  
Purpose, and which called me out of the lands of the south to  
this place which is rightly called Paradise, and more rightfully  
called Equestria, because it was a Land fit to be lived in.

And so the Angel, at this point still quite in his youth, was  
trained in every detail that was mentioned, and in the use of  
the large swords of the Paladin, and in the healing arts, and in  
Compassion and when it should be applied, and when it should be  
withheld, and he soon found that his large wings, too often a  
burden that slowed him, also gave him great strength, so that he  
could fly in armor heavier then any other knight before him, and  
stay shielded by more then faith. Over the next few years he did  
distinguish himself, racking up the dead, slaying bandits and  
undead and Changlings and much else, and his visions ended and  
he was content. He learned all that Equestria's scholars could  
teach him, of mathematics and the sciences and the arts of  
magic, and how to read the stars like a map, and how to see how  
much time remains in the day by looking at the Sun, how to fight  
in heavy armor and with a great sword, and most of all he  
learned the arts of strategy and warfare, because he knew the  
Shadow Called Sombra still lurked to the far and Icy North.

When the War began, Solar Light again distinguished himself.  
Armored in heavy golden plate, and carrying a magic sword given  
to him by Celestia, he slew many Griffons and Changlings, and  
led paladins and guards into battle, and saved the lives of  
many. And when he would rise into the air, his shadow would cast  
his massive winged siloutte upon the ground, and the people  
would cry out the Angel is coming, and praise the Sun for saving  
them. But alas the armies of evil were too great, and too many.  
And when the Shadow came, doom was sealed. 

When Sombra came to Canterlot he found the city a fortress.  
Celestia was prepared to sacrifice everything to keep the city,  
and the Angel had no doubts. The city would be kept, and Sombra  
would die. When the Axis raged against the mountain city, spells  
flew and guns fired, swords clashed with chitlin and spears  
against griffon plate. Crystal Golems scaled the side of the  
mountain, and the Angel led his pegasi in fierce bombardment  
from above, dropping stones and light explosives, shattering the  
holy mountain itself down on them, but still they came. As the  
battle continued eventually the paladins and knights keeping the  
city fell, one by one. The great city gates were torn open by  
horrible manatech siege engines, and darkness entered the city  
of the Sun. The Angel made for the escape of many from the city,  
and personally guarded airship after civilian airship as they  
fell back from the slaughter. Till as last the Equestrian Forces  
were pushed back to the Noble Palace itself, the north star  
around which Malak's spirit turned. Civilians and soldiers and  
knights rushed into the Palace, fearing the horror that was  
coming upon them. Yet when all were inside Malak did not shelter  
himself in the walls with the others. The Angel of Arabia  
slammed shut the Gates of Canterlot Castle, and waited for the  
surge to come, and come it did. Changelings and Griffons, a few  
at a time at first, then many roared against him, yet at the  
bridge they were funneled, and Malak screamed hot ecstaties of  
rage and bodies piled, funneling them only more. Till at least  
did the Dark Lord, old and wrathful, come upon the Gate himself,  
and the Angel felt himself small. The less said of the battle  
then the better, for it was not in the Sun's favor. The Darkness  
surged itself against him, releasing dark and terrible magicks.  
For a mere five minutes did Malak hold the twisting Tyrant at  
bay, for only a brief respite did the Angel hold the Gates  
sealed shut. Yet it was enough, Malak did think. For Celestia  
told him to hold the gate and buy time, and with blood and bones  
five minutes did he purchase, till at the last his body, cold  
and broken, was tossed from the bridge, his armor chinked and  
one wing broken, to crumble slowly down the mountain side. The  
Angel awoke to see the city taken, and at once he saw a vision.  
The Moon was rising in the south, and a light was dawning there.  
So healing his bruised body and lesser wounds, and tying back  
his broken wing, Malak make himself a ship of Goldenleaf Oak and  
sailed south to meet Luna, and wait the War's continuation.

Now El-Malak waits for the return to the Paradise he lost, to  
wreak vengeance against the Demon of his dreams, and find his  
missing god. The Angel is of moderate size, but has enormous  
massive wings, far in excess of his bulk. His coat is pure  
white, and his mane long flowing locks of gold. His armor is  
pure gold, with solar insignias and caligraphy decorating the  
hardened magic plate. His sword, a modern blade, forged in the  
Equestrian style, is designed for the slaying of large numbers of  
weaker enemies and can shine brightly with sunlight at his command. 
He is extremely educated, especially in  
knowledge of warfare, and has a great hatred for all the enemies  
of Equestria, but most especially Sombra. He views Equestria as  
a kind of heaven on earth, and worships the Princess [and to a  
lesser extent, the other Princesses] as gods, with a  
superstitious zeal that is a clear example of his heritage in  
Saddle Arabia. He is extremely compassionate, and dislikes  
violence intensely. When he fights, he fights like a wild beast,  
and when the fight is over he returns nearly-immediatly to a  
relaxed calm. He is a comparitively young stallion for one of  
his station, and is most noted to Luna as a military advisor and  
a powerful war hero. He is known to occasionally suffer  
epileptic fits, during which he believes he is recieving divine  
inspiration. On occasion, when dreaming, he will see visions,  
usually very symbolic, which tell him hints about the future.  
His hobbies include the study of nature, sports [especially  
relating to flying], astronomy [and astrology], and simpler  
pleasures of food and drink and warm clothing. Most ponies do  
not know his original pony name of Solar Light, and only  
Celestia called him it with any frequency.