Inhuman

Chapter 5: Alpha

Well, Pinkie at least knew how to welcome someone to Ponyville, that was for sure.

Even if Zachary's welcome party didn't have the turnout that Pinkie expected, she still didn't let anything like that get her down, and focused on giving the human the best possible welcome she could.

There were less than ten guests in the top room of Sugarcube Corner, but Pinkie Pie had put her heart and soul into transforming the room into the pinnacle of a partying experience.

Zach surveyed the room; she really did go overboard.  The tables in the room were filled with cavity-inducing sweets and drinks, and there was a mountain of balloons and streamers strewn across the room.  Not to mention the dancing and the games.

Honestly, the party seemed a little bit.... kiddy, at first.  But Zach had realized that is was the thought that counted, and since she had gone through so much trouble just to welcome him, he might as well enjoy it.

The rest of the townponies must've still been wary of them, because there really weren't as many guests as Pinkie had said there would be.  Of course Pinkie was there, being the host, and Twilight and Spike, but other than that it seemed to be only close friends of Pinkie herself.

He had already met most of them.  Besides Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie, he had met the orange earth pony named Applejack earlier that day, and the rainbow-maned one in the forest the previous nights.

Applejack was looking at him with something... regret?  He didn't really know, but it was clear that Rainbow Dash was still very untrusting of him, and she obviously did not want to be here.

The only ponies there who who hadn't met were the timid-looking yellow pegasus off in the corner, and the alabaster white unicorn who was talking animatedly to Twilight.

It was about an hour into the party, and everyone had clearly arrived.  He looked at the clock upon the wall, which read nine o'clock.  He hoped that the party didn't last past midnight.

He didn't get to dwell on that further as a pink muzzle suddenly appeared in his visage, grinning at him widely.

"Hi!  What are you doing staring at the wall for!?  This is your party, silly Zachie!  Get out on the dance floor and have some fun!" the party pony insisted.

Zachary blinked as Pinkie appeared practically teleported right behind him, pushing on his back forcefully with both of her front hooves.  The human stumbled forward into the thick of things, while Pinkie giggled from the dance floor.  How she got there in such a short time, he didn't know.  What he did know was that the pink pony didn't make any sense whatsoever.

He stood there dumbfounded, until a hoof lightly tapped him on his shoulder.

He turned around to see Twilight, smiling at him lightly as she levitated a glass of punch to her muzzle.

"Hi there.  Enjoying the party?" she asked.

"Oh, sure.  Honestly, you girls didn't need to put so much effort into welcoming someone like me.  The fact that you're welcoming me into your town alone when I'm so different makes me very grateful," he said, smiling.

"I keep telling you, it's no problem!  Once I get a letter back from Princess Celestia about your situation, we can figure out living arrangements for you until the time comes where you can return to your home," she said, taking a sip from her drink.

She sighed, smacking her lips over the taste of the punch.

"Now, enough about that!  You've met some of my friends already, with... mixed results.  But there are a couple of my best friends here that you haven't met yet!  I'll introduce you!"

With that in mind, Twilight led the human towards one of the ponies he hadn't spoken to.  It was the rather stuffy looking white unicorn they walked up to first.  He didn't even know where the other one went.

He walked along behind Twilight up to her friend, who was chatting with Spike.  The little dragon didn't seem to be listening to a word she was saying though, and was instead just transfixed on staring at her longingly.

"Anyway, darling, as I was saying, the other day I saw Aloe and Lotus..." she cut herself off when a shadow cast itself over her, and she peered over to the right in alarm.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried out, when her eyes peered up to look upon the human.  One of her front hooves trembled, and even though she knew the party was for some strange creature and she had seen him from a distance, she hadn't been this close before.

For her credit, she managed to keep her composure.

"T-Twilight... darling!  How lovely to see.... you," she stuttered, at the apparently carefree unicorn, who was standing in front of the looming human.

"Lovely to see you too, Rarity!" she greeted, while Zachary stood awkwardly behind her.  There was a tense silence for a couple of seconds.

"Rarity, have you met the guest of honor?" Twilight asked.  She was seemingly oblivious to the tension that existed between human and pony.

"Rarity, this is Zach, a human.  Zach, this is Rarity."

Rarity eyed him awkwardly, taking note of his bizarre appearance and relatively casual clothes that she noted with distaste.

"Oh.... no.  Charmed..." she said simply, without the usual flair that accompanied her voice.

"Yeah... nice to meet you," the human greeted awkwardly back.

"Forgive me for being rude, but... what exactly is a human?" Rarity asked, much more to Twilight than the actual homo sapian within earshot.

Rarity got her answer in the form of a loud voice blaring in her ear.

"Silly Rarity!  It's what Zachie is!  I mean, I said we were throwing this party for Zach the human, so it wouldn't really make sense if Zachie wasn't a human, right?!" Pinkie yelled in Rarity's ear, making her face scrunch up into a hearty cringe from the volume.

"Oh, Pinkie Pie... you gave me quite a start..." Rarity said, looking at the beaming pink pony before her.

"She's right, though.  Zach here is a human; he comes from a faraway place, and as you can tell, he's probably not like anything that you've ever seen before..." Twilight explained to Rarity.

"I tell ya, it sure surprised me!  Ah nearly hogtied the poor feller 'fore Twilight here explained the situation to me!" Applejack said, coming to mingle with the group.

All throughout this, Zach still remained silent.

"I heard there was some sort of commotion going on in the town square earlier today.  That was you, Applejack?  I would think that we have told you more times than once to not act so rashly over things..." Rarity lectured.

"Hey!  It wasn't my fault!  Ah thought he was terrorizin' the townponies!" Applejack defended, to which Rarity huffed skeptically.

"Oh please, Applejack.  You know it's like you to just jump in there without thinking first.  I doubt the poor dear was doing anything of consequence..." she said, eyes pouring over Zach.

Applejack frowned and blushed, but her stubbornness reigned out, and she refused to admit she was wrong.

"Anyway, darling!  I hope your little escapade in Ponyville was not ruined by some of the more... rude residents." Rarity said, glaring at Applejack.  "I'm sure you'll find this quaint little village quite friendly!"

She winced.

"Though... I must say, your choice of wardrobe is not... what I had in mind.  If you're going to wear clothes, I simply must design a much more fitting attire for you.  Oh, don't worry, I shall not not charge you a bit!  Just think of it as my own personal gift!"

As Rarity began her rant, Twilight and Applejack shot a look of pity at the confused human, who was listening to the white unicorn ramble.  Rarity was certainly generous, but she had a fatal flaw of always impeding on ponies' right to make their own decisions.  And it looked like Zachary was about to be her next victim.

Zachary looked down at his clothes, frowning.  The unicorn didn't seem to like what he was wearing, but he couldn't say he blamed her.  Since his arrival here had been... unexpected, it's not like he had more than one set of clothes.  He might have to take her up on her offer anyway.

"Well, that's very generous of you.  You see, I didn't really have time to... prepare for this arrival or anything, so I don't have anything more than this pair of clothes.  And well, humans kind of need to wear clothes," he said.  He was talking to Rarity, but he noticed a gleam enter Twilight's eyes.

"That's very peculiar!  Why is there such a-" Twilight began to ask, but there was a banging noise from a few feet over, followed by the wobbling of one of the food tables.

A glass of punch that was resting on the table toppled over, and the group heard the shattered of glass as there was a loud, surprised squeak coming from under the table, followed by a head that poked out.

"E-Eep!  I'm so sorry!"

"Huh?" Zach asked outloud, already forgetting about Twilight's question.  He peered over at the table which housed the punch bowl, where he saw the yellow pegasus from earlier peeking out from underneath, stealing terrified glances at him.

Her rattling underneath the table had apparently caused the glass of punch to topple over, which had spooked her out of her hiding place.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing down there?" Rarity asked.

"O-Oh.... w-well.... I...... um.... um..." Fluttershy started, but her shyness quickly overtook her, and she crouched back underneath the table again.

Rarity sighed, trotting over to the table where the butter-yellow pegasus was crouched under.

"Fluttershy, darling, don't you know it's terribly rude to avoid the guest of honor?  Come out from under there and meet him!  I promise he won't hurt you."

When Fluttershy mumbled something again, Rarity just sighed.  Twilight smiled at Zachary.

"Fluttershy.  Her name's pretty fitting.  She's just as skittish around normal ponies she's never met, let alone humans she's never met.  She's really the sweetest little pony you'll ever meet though," she said.

At this point, Rarity had managed to "coax" Fluttershy out from her hiding spot by grasping her pink tail in her mouth and literally dragging her own from underneath the table.

The pegasus didn't seem to struggle on the way, but she curled up into a ball when she was deposited in the middle of the group, directly in front of Zachary himself.

Her face in her hooves, she poked an eye out and looked at the human, before squealed and covering her eyes with her hooves again.

"Fluttershy... this is Zach.  I'm sure he'd very much like to meet you..." Twilight said, in a slightly stern voice to the cowering pegasus.

Fluttershy uncovered her hooves and cautiously climbed to her feet, and her aquamarine eyes stared directly at Zachary's face for the first time.  For her credit, she didn't cower again, but she still didn't seem all that comfortable around him.

"Um.... hello," she said simply.

Zachary smiled at her, crouching slightly so he'd meet her eye level.

"She's quite the cutie..." he thought to himself.  Most of these ponies looked like something straight out of fairy tale land, and many of them were cavity inducing, but this one... this one really took the cake.

"It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy," Zach said kindly, watching as the shy pony began to come more and more out of her shell.

"See, now was that so bad, darling?" Rarity piped up, as Fluttershy blushed lightly.  Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie all laughed lightly as her shyness, but Fluttershy seemed to be getting more comfortable now.

"Um, it's nice to meet you too..." she said, a little louder and clearer than her first.  Zachary smiled at her, which made the rest of ponies there light up with their own grins.

"Well, you've been introduced to all my friends now," Twilight interrupted, with what sounded like a tinge of relief within her voice.  "And I'm glad to say that they've mostly accepted you.  Except..."

Her eyes flickered over to the corner, where Rainbow Dash had her back facing the rest of the group.  A stony expression was set upon her face as she sulked.

"Don't worry about her, Twilight.  I don't mind," Zachary reassured, brushing off the rainbow pony's unfriendliness.  Twilight didn't seem to be set at ease however.

"But it's not okay.  She shouldn't be acting like this, she-" but she was cut off as Zachary leaned in close and whispered in her ear lowly, so that not even the other curious ponies could hear.

"Just drop it, okay.  I don't need the two of us making a fuss here at the party.  Just let her sulk for a day or two and then she'll come around; trust me," he said.

Twilight looked skeptical, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Anyway..." he continued.  "It'd probably be best to let your friends now how I got here, and what needs to be done with how I'm going to get back, right?"

Twilight couldn't argue with that.  She nodded at him, before Zachary turned back to the rest of the group at her behest.

"Well, first of all, I'd like to say thanks once again to Pinkie Pie for throwing me this very special "Welcome to Ponyville".  But since you're all here celebrating my arrival here, there's something I need to say..."

At this point, Zachary began to tell his story to the ponies who didn't know his story.  Speaking loudly enough so that Rainbow Dash could hear him, he began to tell them about Earth, his home.  He told them about the college he went to.  He told them about how he went to sleep, and heard a gigantic explosion.  He told them about how he had awoken in White Tail Woods with no clue where he was or how he had got there.  He told them about being found, and how he spent last night with Twilight in the library.

And finally, he told them about his own theory, about how he was from another world.

"-And right now we're waiting for a response from your Princess to see if she'd know anything about this situation.  But until then, I'm sorta stuck here..."

He gauged the various reactions, from shock, to pity, and when he glanced over at Rainbow Dash in the corner, he saw suspicion.  She was being uncharacteristically silent, but her expression was telling the whole story.

"O-Oh my, you poor thing..."

"Yes, that is quite the story.  Honestly, separated from my family and friends with no certainty of getting back; I wouldn't be able to take it.  I don't know how you do it!"

"Well, never going back sounds super-duper lame, but at least you'll have a bunch of new friends here in Ponyville!"

"So, lemme get this straight.  Y'all are from 'nother world?"

"We don't truly know if it's another world, Applejack.  We don't have evidence of a thing like that, but what we do know is that Zach here is lost and confused in a place he is unfamiliar with.  He is someone that really needs our support throughout this tough time.  Are we gonna give it to him?" Twilight asked, after her friends had all given their opinions over the subject.

The human looked at the ponies longingly, as they mulled it over.  Then, they all smiled at him genuinely, as they nodded their heads in union, basically promising to become friends with the human.

That is, except for a blue pegasus huddled in the corner.

Twilight beamed, but her face took on an expression of alarm as Spike, who had been sitting there silent along with the group, suddenly burped out a stream of green flames.

The green swirled around in a vortex, before there was a small popping noise, and a scroll popped into existence where the green flames once were.

"It's a letter from the Princess!  It must be about Zach!" Twilight cried out in excitement, levitating the scroll up to her eyes and unfurling it.

"My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

What a truly interesting discovery you have made!  I am afraid that I do not have the slightest idea of what a human is nor where they come from, but there are more urgent matters that I must address.  This is a matter of grave importance, and is a matter that may be related to your newly found friend.  This is a matter of great secrecy, and as such I would like to call you to Canterlot so I reveal to you this great matter of important.  Please bring along the other Element Bearers as well as the human in question.  I have arranged for a chariot to trasnport you to the castle, arriving in Ponyville at 8 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning.

I wish you a safe journey,

Princess Celestia"

She read the letter outloud to her friends, whose eyes widened as they transfixed on the unicorn.  Twilight herself seemed to be in shock as well.  Instead of the advice on humans that she had been seeking, she had once again been dragged into a matter that involved the fate of Equestria.

She just did not know what it was.

"That... was not what I was expecting..." Zachary piped up.

"A matter of grave importance?  What does this mean, Twi?" Dash asked, finally coming out of her slump and flying over to the group.  Their party attitudes had vanished, even Pinkie Pie's, and they all had serious expressions on their faces.

"I don't know.  But, I'm guessing... we may found out more about the mystery of your arrival, Zach.  The best thing we can do is go tomorrow and talk to Princess Celestia about these matters.  We may need the Elements of Harmony..."

The party wound down shortly afterwards.  It seemed that with such a tense day tomorrow, nopony was in the mood to party anymore, despite Pinkie's insistence on the matter.

The six ponies, one dragon, and one human broke for home at around midnight.  Princess Celestia's letter still rung in all their heads, but most of them still reassured Zachary that he would have their support.

Twilight, Spike, and Zachary headed back to the library directly after that, pleased with the night but also nervous about what tomorrow would bring.

A few moments later, and Spike had dozed off on Twilight's back.  The unicorn herself looked a little drowsy, but Zachary himself was awake as could be.

The unlikely group stumbled back into the library, and fifteen minutes later all the lights had been shut off in the tree, and its occupants were securely tucked away in dream land.

However, at roughly one o'clock, the front door to the library creaked open slowly, and a shadowy figure slunk out into the streets.

There were no lights on, and not a soul was on the streets at this time of night, so the figure could move out and about with a great amount of freedom.  But it wasn't concerned with anything in Ponyville.

It slunk out of the village quietly, towards the west.  It continued on the beaten path into White Tail Woods, slinking along with all the grace of a stealthy predator.  When it had been moving for a few minutes, it turned to the right directly off the trail and into the undergrowth.

It continued on this path for roughly half a mile, until the forest thinned and the figure crept into a large, flat clearing of grass and weeds.  In the center of the clearing, a tiny one-roomed shack stood, barely functional as a place to live.

Nevertheless, the figure moved up to the cabin, grasping the door knob with a hand and opening the old wooden door.  It was sparsely furnished inside; the only items in the single room were a small table, a few chairs, and a single candle lit on top of table.

There was a figure sitting in the chair opposite the door, though the candlelight obscured its face.  The arriving silhouette moved into the house, shutting the door behind it.

"Were you followed?" the figure in the chair asked.  It had a deep male voice, thick and guttural, and it spoke with a hint of an edge to it.

The other figure, a young human male, scowled from across the table.

"Of course not... what do you take me for?" Zachary said, irritated.  He took a seat at the table, his features stony as he regarded the figure across from him.

"Have you come closer to achieving your objective?" the figure asked.

"Yes.  I have befriended the unicorn in question, Twilight Sparkle.  I can proceed with my orders at any time now..." he stated emotionlessly.

The figure across from him hummed.

"The preparations on our end will be finished at approximately midnight tomorrow night, meaning you have permission to proceed at approximately eight o'clock P.M.  The rest of the organization will be busy with the Equestrian crown case, so it's up to you to finish the duty with Twilight Sparkle."

"I don't understand why I'm the one who has to fulfill this job...  Why couldn't you just send a foot solider to her, like all the rest of them?" Zachary commented distastefully.

"Are you mad?  Twilight Sparkle is the most magically talented unicorn in Equestria.  Her magical ability and potential are off the charts.  She could wipe out a whole line of foot soldiers with nary a thought.  But that's not the main reason you were assigned to this case..."

The figure trailed off, before resuming again.

"Unfortunately, the changeling attack could not come at a worse time.  The city of Canterlot is on lockdown, especially the castle.  We were ready to engage the castle, but an unforeseen event occurred in the wake of the Changelings.  We cannot enter.  Only those approved by the Princesses themselves are allowed to enter. Through the power of the Elements of Harmony and Celestia herself, an enormously powerful barrier has been erected.  Our top magicians have studied it; it cannot be penetrated."

Zachary stared in silence.

"The power of the Elements of Harmony is not to be underestimated.  Normally, it can only be dispelled should Princess Celestia or the Element of Magic herself will it.  From the outside, it cannot be destroyed.  However, that's where you come in..."

Zachary mouthed something.

"I think I get it.  You predicted this, didn't you?  That's why you had me befriend Twilight Sparkle herself, instead of proceeding with my mission in secrecy.  You predicted that she would be confused over me, and ask her teacher what to do.  Celestia, on the other hand, is very suspicious over the disappearances and understands the potential consequences.  She's suspicious of me, which means she wants me away from her precious student as soon as possible.  Twilight Sparkle, as well as myself, were to be called up to the castle, where Celestia can keep a close eye on her student while simultaneously keeping tabs on me."

"Then I was correct.  You have been invited into the castle.  Once inside, you are the one who can break the barrier from the inside." the figure said.

"What should I do once I'm inside?  I would imagine that there would be many prying eyes in the castle."

"Celestia is smart, but she also doesn't understand what you are.  I imagine that you'll be in for a welcome through many, many watching eyes.  She might be looking for any excuse to throw you in a dungeon or interrogate you over the disappearances  She thinks that she can control you if you are kept within the castle, that she has custody over you, but she doesn't understand that your simple presence there is already a grievous error on her part."

"I can understand what to do with regards to the barrier once I'm inside the castle..  It should be fairly easy for me to find a way to break the barrier, even with watchful eyes.  However, at that point, the charade will be blown... for all of us.  What should I do at that point?" Zachary asked.

"It does not matter at that point.  Our own cover is not important anymore once the assault begins, but from that point on you will finish your original task.  I have gone over the plans for the assault on Canterlot; they are reckless, but they are direct orders.  It is very possible that we may fail, but it has been setup so that you shall succeed, and one of our primary goals will have been met either way..." the figure continued, a tinge of happiness in its voice.

Zachary scowled and crouched low.  He had remained relatively stoic the entire time, but now he was staring at the figure with an intense amount of venom in his eyes.

The figure noticed this, and it moved forward into the candle stick.  Zachary made out the equine face and green eyes of the matte black earth pony in front of him.

"Do not challenge me, Alpha..." he said in a low, dangerous voice.

Alpha cast his eyes down, frowning as he nodded.  This seemed to satisfy the stallion, who then sat down in the chair.

"Good.  Then we begin our glorious future tomorrow.  For the Arcane Ascension!" he chanted.  He thrust forward a large hoof across the table in a gesture.

A midnight black, shiny, insectoid claw reached across the table.  Its two forked pincers wrapped around the pony's claw, and grasped gently...