Magical March 17: Noble Steed

Magical March 17

Noble Steed

Mark A Davis

328

Celerity was an angel -- or at least, an angelic magical girl.  She was a young woman but tall and powerfully built, with the muscles of a weight lifter.  She had dark skin but braided blonde hair that shone like sunlight, and wore bright silver armor -- breastplate, pauldrons, greaves, vambraces -- that flashed like polished steel in the noonday sun, even though the skies were overcast.  Her pleated skirt was as white as new-fallen snow, and she swooped down over the city streets like a hawk or eagle, on feathered wings of white.

Ahead was her foe -- a creature of black soot and twisted limb.  It towered over nearby buildings, more than two feet in the air, and skittered about on long, thin limbs, like a giant, spider-like harvestman, or a creature made entirely from black pipe cleaners.  This was just the latest minion of Indolencia, the demonic magical girl who opposed Celerity. 

As she swiftly approached, the creature spit acid -- a sticky, tar-like substance that splattered and burned and corrupted.  Celerity dodged.  Steam rose from blackened ground where the liquid landed.  She drew her sword, which shone like molten metal, and sliced through three of the creature's limbs.  She spun and flew straight up.  The creature thrashed about in silent pain.  Holding her sword before her, Celerity called out, "Purifying light of Heaven, Cleansing Blade!"

A beam of bright light descended from they skies, piercing the creature through its center.  The creature froze, then desintigrated.

Celerity landed on the street below.  A new person appeared -- a woman with skin as black as India ink, dressed in flowing black robes with a high collar.  She had wild black hair, and yellowed horns that curved about her head like those of a goat.

"Indolencia," Celerity said.

"So!  You have defeated my corruption spider!" the demonic woman said.  "Victory is yours -- for now!  I shall return tomorrow with a new plan to defeat you and corrupt this city to its core.  Ha ha ha ha ha!"

The dark magical girl vanished.  Celerity sheathed her sword.

A badger as black as night separated from the shadows of a nearby alleyway and padded out to greet the angelic magical girl.

"You did a good job, Celerity," the badger said.

"My thanks, Nyx," the magical girl replied.  "However, I can not help but feel that, in opposing Indolencia, I am not truly bringing more light or love or justice to the world.  She and I were created at the same time.  To what point?  Is it not true that, should I not exist, then neither would Indolencia?  Her evils are only brought into existence so that I might banish them; together we are a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I only fight that evil which exists as a counter to my existence."

"Don't stress too much or overthink it," said the badger Nyx.  "I know it seems like a pointless game, but at best we're keeping an agent of the Dark Magical Girl Division of Hell engaged and therefore in check.  Otherwise they might decide to do something else, and cause real trouble.  And to be honest, few magical girls can say that they are directly opposing agents of Hell."

"That is a noble cause, I do admit," Celerity said.  She paused as a white ball of fur with large brown eyes and bunny ears popped into existence.  "Sita?" she asked.

"Celerity, Nyx," Sita said.  "Greetings."  Although one could not read expressions on a ball of fur, Celerity had the distinct impression that Sita was glaring at Nyx.  Sita had designed Celerity's costume and powers, and had chosen her name -- an angelic magical girl had been something of a pet project for her, and she'd expressed great disdain that a guide for an angelic magical girl would choose the form of a black badger.  But Sita had her own hands full, if a ball of fur could be said to have hands, with a team of magical girls further south.

They had also argued over Celerity's name.  Nyx was of the opinion that a magical girl with a one-word name was not a proper magical girl at all.

"How goes things?" Sita asked.

"So far so good," Nyx replied.  "Indolencia presents a new threat nearly every day, and Celerity counters it...."

As he spoke, three winged fairies flew down from the sky and landed beside Sita.  They were two girls and a boy, and they darted through the air like dragonflies.  Celerity had met them before -- Fairy Princess Bluebell, in a flower-like dress of deep violet; Fairy Princess Foxglove, in a similar magenta dress; and Fairy Knight Hollyhock, who wore a pink tunic that was almost a dress, and pink bloomer that were not quite shorts.

"Greetings, Dark Realm Quartet," Celerity said, lowering her head slightly.  In point of fact, they were not a quartet yet, or had not been when last they met.  "What do you this far north?  Eugene is where you fight your battles, while Portland is my realm to defend."

"We're on the trail of one of the Dark Adversary's minions," said Foxglove.  "We go wherever our enemies are found."

"This is probably going to be our toughest battle yet," said Bluebell.  "You're welcome to join us if you like, Celerity."

"We'd appreciate the help in battle," added Hollyhock.

The angelic girl frowned.  "While the Kingdom of Portland is mine to defend," she said, "my enemies are not the minions of the Dark Realm.  I have my own foes to contend with...."

"The... Kingdom of Portland?" Hollyhock asked.

"You know," said Foxglove, "you don't get any brownie points for talking like that."

Celerity raised an eyebrow.  "Do you have concerns with my manner of speech?"

"Only that it sounds incredibly pretentious," Foxglove said.

"Sis is right," said Bluebell.  "I mean, you're not a real angel, are you?  That's just your magical girl form.  The rest of the time you're just a high school girl like us.  Try being a bit more down-to-earth...."

Hollyhock raised a hand.  "I hate to keep pointing this out," he said, "but I am not a girl...."

"Nor am I," said Foxglove.  "I'm your brother, remember?"

"Right now you're a girl," Bluebell pointed out.

As they bickered, a girl in an aquamarine dress rode up on a white unicorn -- a muscular stallion with a shining horn protruding from its forehead.

Celerity's eyes widened.  "Mermaid Princess Nisha," she said, inclining her head.  "May I say that this new steed of yours is a magnificent creature...."

Nisha slid off the unicorn's back.  "Oh, he's much more than that," she said.  "May I present to you the last member of our quartet:  Unicorn Knight Sterling."

The unicorn transformed into a well-muscled and very handsome boy in white armor, with a sword and shield.  He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and tanned skin.  A horn still protruded from his forehead.  Celerity was quite tall for a girl, but Sterling stood several inches taller.

He bowed low.  "Greetings, Celerity.  It is an honor to meet the angel who guards the city of Portland," he said.

Celerity felt her knees grow weak.  "I... that is..." she said, stumbling over her words.  "I was just... saying that I would love to accompany your quartet on your quest to engage a minion of the Dark Adversary...."

"You were?" asked Foxglove.

"Yes," Celerity said more forcefully.  "Also, I can imagine nothing finer than if I could ride into battle on the back of a noble unicorn...."

"But," said Hollyhock, "surely you're an angel who can fly...."

Celerity blinked.  She glanced at her white wings.  "Oh," she said.  "Right.  Flight.  I mean, if you like that sort of thing...."

FINI