They Came from Up There

Mikar awoke from his nightmare, sweating feverishly. He had the same dream about Oregam, but this time, that creature, which Mikar learned was a Griffon, attacked him. Mikar tried to calm down, but the thoughts kept racing back to him. The eagle screech, the angry golden eyes, those claws. Mikar lifted his head, and saw that Zecora was still fast asleep under Mikar's wing, snoring quietly. She looked so cute, even if she was a bit creepy looking. He turned his head and peered at the clock; 2:00 AM. Mikar couldn't get back to sleep, so he sat up and watched Zecora sleep for a while. He then turned to reading books (To the best of his extent - He wasn't all too great at reading), which only bored him more. He was now wide awake at 2:30 AM with nothing to do, and he couldn't move too much or he would wake one of the ponies. So, he flipped through some picture books rather than reading them. He read a few foal's stories, and a few comic books. Most of them revolved around a brown pony named "Daring Do", who went on crazy adventures, retrieving ancient artifacts from old temples and caves. He found them quite interesting, for pony books. He later read through some picture books about medical treatment for common wounds, spells, and one interesting book on pony mating. When Zecora started to shift, he put down the mating book and nestled his head down again. Zecora opened her eyes and looked at him. She smiled, and sat up.

"My good friend, why are you awake? Your energy for tomorrow is at stake..." She whispered, then yawned. She looked at the clock on the wall, which now read 6:00 AM. Mikar looked at it too, surprised that he had read that fast. Zecora turned her neck and saw all the books lying on the floor. She looked at one closely- Your Expansive Guide on Pony Mating. She turned to Mikar, who could only grin sheepishly and shrug his shoulders. For some reason, his wings were fully outstretched, and he couldn't seem to get them back down. He gave up and looked at Zecora.

"What? I got bored."

"I see that..." Zecora yawned, not bothering to rhyme her sentence. She laid her head back against Mikar's forepaw and pulled his wing over her. She nodded to him before closing her eyes and going back to sleep. Mikar waited until he was sure she was asleep, then re-opened the mating guide. He stared at them curiously.

Do they really lick each other *down there?***

"Okay, Mr. Big and Tall, you ready to meet your new friends?" Twilight asked.

"It's now or never," Mikar mumbled. He wasn't into letting more ponies see his true form, but 5 ponies didn't seem too bad. He waited patiently for the signal to emerge from his hiding place in the attic, which was a very tight fit for him. It hurt him to get in because of his injuries, but he survived and somehow managed to turn his body around so his head could peek through the attic door. He was ready for this.

Suddenly, a loud knock was heard at the door. Twilight gave him a quick pat on the head, before descending down the attic ladder and mostly closing the door, leaving it open a sliver so Mikar could see what was going on. Twilight rushed over to the door. Zecora was nowhere to be seen; She had went back to her home for some "me time". Spike was gone too, but Twilight had already introduced him to Mikar. It went casually, as if Spike were just meeting another pony, and not an alien. He was gone shopping for the day. Twilight opened the door with her magic, and what Mikar saw made his stomach churn.

It was the Griffon.

"Hey Twilight," She said.

"Gilda?! W-what are you doing here?!" Twilight almost slammed the door. Instead, Gilda held up a picture. On it was a picture of what Mikar looked like, minus the bat wings- His wings had feathers.

"I'm looking for this dweeb. You see him anywhere? I've got a score to settle with him."

"N-no, I haven't seen anything like that in my life." Twilight answered, her voice still shaking in fear. Gilda could sense that she was lying, however, and picked up the stakes.

"Listen, hornhead, I don't wanna have to hurt you. Now tell me where he is, before I-"

"Ah-hem...." A voice said, forcing Gilda to whip around, claws ready. A huge, red pony and 5 other multicolored ponies stood there. The red one seemed to be the source of the voice, since he was the only male there. Mikar felt relieved to see another male. "Or you'll do what, feathers?" The red one rumbled in an easy, southern accent.

"Oh, uhh, I was just leaving," Gilda mumbled.

"Neigh, ya weren't. Y'all was gonna clobber her. Ah saw it." The red pony replied, his normally laid-back eyes now turning into an angry stare.

"Did you, Big Mac? Well, what're you gonna do about it, sit on me?"

"Nnnope," Big Mac said, lifting his hoof and wrapping it around the protesting Gilda. She scratched, bit and clawed, but Big Mac was tough. He ignored it all and threw her into the side of a house, watching her scramble up and fly away, shouting vile remarks about tearing everypony to shreds. After that was settled, Big Mac stepped back and let his followers enter the house. Mikar took a good look at all of them.

First off, there was Big Mac. A huge, red tank that could take on even a Griffon, and judging by the huge bite marks on his side, Mikar guessed that he could take on a Skykin as well. But what Skykin had bit him? He would learn this later. Next up was an orange Earth Pony. She bore a southern accent and a cowpony's hat, with a cutie mark depicting three apples. If Mikar was correct, she seemed related to the red one named Big Mac. She was talking to another pony, who was white with a brilliantly styled purple mane. She had a strange accent, frequently using the words "darling" and "fabulous". She was a Unicorn, and her cutie mark had three gemstones on it. Behind her followed a blue Pegasus pony with a multicolored rainbow mane. She was busy reading one of the books that Mikar had read last night- Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet. She was so busy, she almost crashed into a bookshelf. Her cutie mark was a thundercloud with a rainbow lightning bolt. Hovering beside her was another Pegasus, but this one was a pale yellow with a pinkish mane. Her cutie mark had three butterflies. She was talking to a bounding, pink Earth Pony who just couldn't stop talking. She went from cupcakes to space travel to My Little People... Whatever that was. The ponies talked amongst themselves for a bit, the orange one telling a story of how the Crusaders were attacked last night at her home. Twilight was starting to give the signal, which was swishing her tail three times, but she was interrupted by a very creepy predicament...

The pink pony's tail suddenly started twitching uncontrollably. Mikar was confused at this strange display, until everypony in the room dove for cover. He didn't quite catch what they said before running and hiding, but he heard one thing.

Crack!

The attic ceiling gave way under Mikar's giant body, sending both it and Mikar crashing to the floor. Mikar slammed into a table, making his chest wound hurt even more than when it had first happened. He screeched in pain, his wings outstretching themselves to their limit. He bit his lip hard, and moments later, he saw nothing but blackness.

"Alive? I mean, sure, he's a big ol' meanie-weanie monster and all, but he hit the ground pret-ty hard!"

"Well, that critter looks a lot like the 'un that attacked the Crusaders last night..."

"Ooh, the poor little thing..."

"Wow, this is 20% cooler than even Daring Do and the Diamond Dogs!"

"Ugh, the darling is quite cute, but his breath reeks! And what kind of perfume is he wearing? Blood?"

"Now, girls. Let's not get carried away." It was Twilight's voice. Mikar was glad to hear this.

Mikar had hid the floor and blacked out. His wound had re-opened, soaking the bandage around his chest in orange ichor. His head felt like it had been struck by lightning. His eyes refused to open. His chest felt like someone was dumping salt under his claws, His right venom fang was chipped, spilling a clear venom onto the floor. One of his wings felt like it was bent backwards, and judging by the fact that he had just fallen 20 feet, it probably was. Normally, a fall of 20 feet would feel like a bunny hop to him. But with his chest injured, his front paws couldn't keep up the pressure when his gash opened and he hit the hard, wooden floor with full force. If that wasn't bad, his wingbones were hollow, meaning they broke easily. He broke them a few times before, but they were small breaks and they healed fast. This break felt much bigger.

"His name is Mikar, and he's a Skykin. Part angel, part fox."

"Angel? ya mean, as in that little critter 'Shy keeps?" It was the orange pony's voice.

"No, as in the... ugh, well, he has wings. It's hard to explain," Twilight finished.

Mikar peeled one eye open and glared into the eyes of an adorable, pastel yellow pegasus pony. She stared back at him for a few seconds, before letting out a little "Eep!" and darting behind the cyan blue pegasus. He let the other eye open slightly, before groaning and shutting it again quickly. His head hurt too much to move, so he moved his eyes instead. In his view, he saw the cyan pegasus, the yellow one, and Twilight. The room was completely silent, save for his labored breathing. All three ponies stared at him with gawking mouths, and the poor yellow one was still hiding behind the cyan one, whose toned muscles led Mikar to thinking she was some kind of athlete. His head pain faded slowly over a period of a few minutes, all of which he spent in agony over the rest of his pain, including his chest and wing, not to mention several other bumps and bruises over his body. When the pain in his head had finally faded completely, he lifted his head and saw 3 other ponies on either side of him. The white one with the purple mane was regarding him with a look of disgust, as if she were offended of how ugly his bandage was. He finally managed the courage to speak.

"Uhhh... hi," He mumbled. He spat out a broken venom fang, which would re-grow by midnight if he was lucky.

"Hello..." They all muttered, except for Twilight and the orange one, who said "Howdy" Instead.

"Owww... Well, aren't you guys gonna help me? This kinda hurts." The ponies exchanged worried glances, before Twilight started lifting him up with her magic. He felt his chest wound starting to mend, which was probably a result of her magic. He slowly inches off the ground, and felt his paws regain strength as his gash slowly healed. Shortly after, he was standing on all fours again, and Twilight was crouching on the floor, seemingly exhausted. The yellow one immediately rushed to her side.

"Oh, Twilight, are you all right? That was a lot of work for you!" She said. Her voice was quiet, as if she were the most shy being in the Forbidden Green World.

"Y-yeah... huff... Just a bit tired. I lifted a... huff... Ursa, I can lift a Skykin," She rasped from thirst.

"Twilight, thanks! My chest, it-" Mikar tried at speak, but he was interrupted by a coughing fit. The cyan blue pegasus took this opportunity to speak up.

"Just what are you?" The blue one growled. She stood ready to bolt straight into him if needed. Mikar flopped his injured wing onto the ground, groaning at the pain. He raised his cheeks in a snarl, and readied his claws in case she decided to attack.

"I'm Mikar. I'm a Skykin. Who are you?"

"I'm Rainbow Dash... And I don't really take kindly to guys who're bullies to poor Fluttershy." Rainbow huffed, and Mikar saw steam shoot from her nostrils. The rest of the ponies watched in concern, too afraid to intervene.

"Well... I guess I scared her, but I didn't mean to." Mikar didn't want to have to hurt the brave pegasus, who was judging where would be best to mash Mikar with her hooves. "Fluttershy? Is that the yellow one?"

"Yeah, it is. Now, friend or foe?"

"Friend. I don't wanna have to bite you, now back off!"

"You back off, fox guy!"

"Um, you two..." Fluttershy's voice was barely audible over Mikar's snarling and Rainbow's snorting.

"Why are you mad at me? It's not like I wanted to scare her!"

"Well, ya did!"

"Hey, um... you two..."

"I'll beat those fangs right outta your head!"

"See if you can do that after I bite you with them!"

"HEY!" Fluttershy exploded, her voice immediately silencing the two. Mikar and Rainbow both looked over at her quickly. She gave Rainbow Dash an angry glare, then turned to Mikar. As soon as his eyes met hers, he felt something. Something deep, deep inside him. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Her stare felt like it was burrowing into his very soul. His expression went from surprise to fear as she slowly approached him. After about 30 seconds of that evil stare, she finally spoke.

"You should know better than that, Mr. Mikar!"

Mikar could only nod, his eyes dilating to small dots in his head.

"You may have scared me, but there's no reason to argue over me!"

Mikar nodded again, and his feral sneer turned into a frown and his snarl turned to a whimper.

"Now, will you be a good boy and stop arguing?"

Mikar nodded once more, and Fluttershy halted her evil stare. Mikar's senses returned to him, and he was now ready to proceed with the introductions Twilight had told him about. He met Applejack, who was an apple bucker on Sweet Apple Acres. Mikar had misheard her when she first said this, much to her confusion when he burst out laughing. She told him about a creature much like Mikar that had attacked her a few nights ago. She had a funny accent.

He met Rainbow Dash, who was apparently the fastest flier in Equestria. She apologized for being so cross with him earlier, and the two seemed to be wonderful friends. Mikar was right about her being an athlete, and she was more than happy to flex her wing muscles for him.

He met Fluttershy, the not-so-shy pony with the yellow coat and pink mane. She was the one whom he scared earlier, and she told him to rest assured that she wasn't scared after meeting him in person. She rubbed his belly, telling him the story of a Minotaur who had taught her to be less of a doormat. She even found his sweet spot, where if she rubbed, he would whimper and shook his left hind leg.

He met Pinkie Pie, who was the greatest partygoer in Ponyville. She wanted to throw him a party after Ponyville had been accustomed to Mikar's presence. She was a fast talker, and she somehow managed to pop into the strangest places. For example, she was babbling on about a cranky donkey named Cranky Doodle Donkey, until she somehow ended up behind Mikar, asking about why his *Squee!* was missing.

Finally, he met Rarity, the fashionista of Ponyville. She frequently referred to him as "darling" and insisted that she make him some form of fancy clothing for when he met the Mayor. He rejected all of her offers, but asked her to fashion him a leather vest. The entire pony group shivered at the mentioning of leather, and even Fluttershy almost fainted before Applejack caught her mid-fall. Rarity told him that leather was made from the skins of animals, and Mikar quickly realized what he had said. They shook it off as a carnivorous instinct.

After meeting all of the ponies, his stomach growled loudly. He was starving, and he craved for some meat. He remembered that most ponies were herbivores; they didn't eat meat. His ears drooped at this, but Applejack offered him an apple. It wasn't half bad, but his stomach greatly disagreed an hour later when he needed to "drop a bomb" in the forest. When he returned, it was starting to get late and the ponies were getting ready to leave. They said their goodbyes, and set out after Mikar had thanked them for accepting him. They promised not to tell Ponyville of his existence until the Mayor had learned, and Pinkie Pie had done some crazy charades called a "Pinkie Promise". He couldn't help but stare at Rainbow's behind as she dashed away, until Twilight gave him a sharp tap with her hoof.

"What?"

"You know what, you pervert!" Twilight giggled and blushed a bright pink before trotting upstairs and to bed. Just before bed, Spike returned and acknowledged Mikar, before belching loudly, spouting green flames. Out of those flames came a scroll, neatly tied with a red ribbon. Twilight picked it up and read it aloud.

Dear Mikar,

I cannot return for you, my dear. To be caught with you, I fear.

I was followed home last night, and it gave me quite a fright.

You can stay with Twilight for now, until I catch this spying cow.

Until then, keep healing to your best. Eat plenty of meat and get lots of rest!

-Sincerely,

Zecora

P.S. Please don't stare at my flanks any more. You're making me feel like a pony whore!

The letter ended with a drawing of a smiling pony head.

"Well, Mikar, time for bed. It's almost 11:00!"

"Alrighty then, night Twilight." Mikar gave her a little pat on the head before nestling his head down onto his forepaws.

"Goodnight, Mikar. Oh, and don't look at my flanks either!" Twilight giggled, until she hopped into her bed. Spike followed shortly after, waving to Mikar before flopping into a basket, hugging a blanket tightly. Mikar wrapped himself in his own blanket, minding his injured wing. He found out from twilight that it wasn't actually broken, only badly sprained. She had rubbed on some ointment shortly after he had returned from the woods. Getting home from the woods was a difficult enough task, but without flight meant he had to dress up as the gigantic pony again. The street ponies still stared at him as they had before, but a few didn't stare.

Mikar closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, but not before snaking his head up and getting a quick peek at Twilight's plump flanks. He pulled his head back a moment later, orange blood flowing from his nose. That was his last thought as he soared into the dream world.

Mikar had a lucid dream that night. He conjured up Oregam, perching neatly on a cloud. He was beside her, and they were both watching the sunset on the cloudy horizon. He gave her a big hug, and tears welled up in his eyes. She hugged him back.

"I miss you so much, Oregam..."

"I miss you too, Mickey. But I'm gone."

"I know." Mikar's voice lowered to a whisper as tears streaked down his furred face. "I know."

"Goodbye, Mikar," Oregam said as he felt the dream fade. Not even his lucid dream could stop her from fading, so he let her drift away sadly, sobbing freely. She blew him a kiss, and all Mikar saw was blackness.

In that blackness he saw a single, angry eye staring back at him.

Draugr.