They Came from Up There

Mikar huffed and sat straight up, taking care not to hit his head on the ceiling. It still hurt from the big fall yesterday. So far, everything had been routine - Wake up, eat, go out and use the bathroom in the forest, visit Zecora for medicine, return to Twilight's. Twilight had insisted that Mikar stay there so that she could study him more. Mikar's presence in Ponyville had caused quite a stir, and several ponies had come to Twilight's door, asking her about the huge pony in her house. Each time, Mikar hid in (the remains of) the attic.

Mikar was getting tired of waiting around in Twilight's and avoiding ponies, so Twilight had arranged to meet with Mayor Mare about introducing Mikar into Ponyville. She was to arrive in an hour. Mikar took the time to comb his head fur and groom his wings. It would still be a few weeks until he could return home, but Mikar was beginning to get accustomed to the thick air and hot temperatures. What Mikar didn't understand was why Twilight didn't just heal him. She said something about exhaustion, but Mikar didn't get it. He would ask again later. His tail swished with anxiety.

"Mikar, you'll be fine," Twilight reassured, patting Mikar's foreleg with her hoof and nuzzling the uninjured portion of his chest. "Mayor Mare's a fine equine, she won't hurt you. Do you remember the plan?"

"Yep," Mikar replied. "Sit here in my cloak, talk to the Mayor, reveal myself."

"Excellent! let's just hope she doesn't mind me having an alien in Ponyville." Twilight scratched at her mane nervously, and looked over to Spike, who was drawing on his notepad. "Spike?"

"Yeah, Twi?" Spike looked up from his drawing.

"Could you make a couple batches of hay fries? I have a feeling the Mayor's gonna stay a little longer than expected."

"Yes sir! I mean, ma'am!" Spike snapped to attention and, saluting, marched off to the kitchen. Twilight sighed nervously and turned her gaze to Mikar, who was starting to snarl and grasp at his stomach.

"Mikar? Is everything okay?" Twilight asked. She hoped he wouldn't get sick while the Mayor was in her house.

"No," He growled back. "I haven't eaten meat in days. I'm a carnivore, I can't survive off of this stuff. My stomach is killing me!" Mikar let out a quiet howl, and then lied down on the floor, being sure to leave room for Twilight.

"Ohhh, Mikar, you poor thing," Twilight said. "Can you make it to the end of the day?"

"I... I don't think so. I need meat." Mikar looked straight into Twilight's eyes.

Twilight gasped when she saw the look in Mikar's eyes. He stared at her with not pain, or sadness, but with lust. As if she had something that he wanted. Drool formed on his lips, and he lifted a paw to walk towards her. She jumped back in defense. A low growl formed in his throat.

"Mikar, what's gotten into you?!" Twilight cried. Almost instantly, Mikar snapped out of his trance and licked the saliva from his chops. The growl faded.

"Ooh, you look tasty... I'm sorry, but you do."

"What?!" Twilight shrieked. She conjured a shield in front of her to protect her should Mikar decide to snack on her.

"I mean it! I mean it, I need meat!" Mikar almost shouted, then lowered his voice, remembering that ponies as far away as Cloudsdale would probably hear him. The look of hunger in his eyes remained until there came a knock at the door.

"We'll sort this out later," Twilight whispered. Mikar nodded and put on his cloak. Twilight held the shield spell in place, not trusting a bloodthirsty fox behind her back. She trotted over to the door and slowly cracked it open. "Hello?"

In the doorway stood Mayor Mare. She looked just like mikar had imagined - Old, with glasses and a gray mane. She put on a smile and waved towards Mikar, who almost waved back, but instead stopped, remembering that her seeing his paws would blow his cover. He instead gave a curt nod. The Mayor then spoke up.

"Good evening, Twilight," She said. Her voice was surprisingly young. "Sorry I'm late. Princess Luna had to come sign a few papers for our mailmare's accident in Canterlot yesterday. You heard, didn't you?"

"Uhh, I'm afraid I haven't, Ms. Mayor." Twilight replied.

"Oh, the poor thing crashed into Luna's window. Shattered the window, and gave Derpy quite the nasty gash. She needed stitches!"

"Oh my," Twilight gasped. "Is she alright?"

"Oh, fine, darling. Fine. Just a little shaken up is all. Anyhow, shall we?" The mayor's glasses slid down her snout, and she quickly pushed them back up.

"Oh! Yes. Come on in!"

The Mayor stepped into the doorway and wiped her hooves. She then walked over to a chair near Mikar and promptly planted her rump in it. She smiled at Mikar again, who only nodded. He didn't want to reveal himself just yet.

"So, Ms. Mayor. I have something to tell you about my friend Mikar." Twilight's expression was unreadable.

"Well, whatever is it, Twilight?" The Mayor accepted a cup of coffee that Twilight had levitated over.

"You see, Mikar is... Different, from the other ponies."

"I can see that," The Mayor replied, a tint of humor in her voice. "He's a lot bigger than anypony I've seen! Haha!"

"That's the thing; He's not a pony." Twilight braced herself for whatever was to come next.

"Ohhh... I see," The Mayor quietly answered. She fixed her gaze on Mikar's swishing tail. She then heard a deep growl and noticed a pool of liquid forming around Mikar's paws. More liquid dripped from Mikar's cloaked face. She giggled when she realized he was drooling. Twilight only facehoofed and groaned. "Griffon, then? Dragon?"

"Try again, Mayor." Twilight whispered.

"Golem?"

"No."

"Druid?"

Twilight shook her head.

"Hmm... Manticore?"

"Manticores have scorpion tails and bat wings," Twilight responded. Mikar's growling was joined by his stomach.

"Oh, right... Oh my, is he growling, too? The poor thing must be starving!" The Mayor exclaimed. She extended a hoof to tap Mikar's side.

"Mayor, no!" But it was too late. The Mayor pulled back as if she had touched a rotting corpse.

"What?! What is it?!" The Mayor questioned, fearing she had hurt him somehow. Mikar's growl ascended to a snarl. His wings flared and his tail swished, but he held his ground.

"Um, now would be a good time to mention... He's a carnivore," Twilight said.

The Mayor recoiled in shock as Mikar let his hood fall. She saw sharp fangs, angry green eyes and gray fur. "W-w-what is that thing?!" The Mayor yelled. Mikar's tongue slowly licked his lips as he stared at the Mayor hungrily.

"He's a Skykin. Part angel, part fox. A.K.A., an alien," Twilight spoke. She was too scared to intervene or try to snap Mikar out of his trance; She didn't want to become his new target. She saw a greenish liquid form on his fangs - venom. Twilight re-summoned the shield spell around herself and the Mayor, who was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Ms. Sparkle, what is he doing?!"

"He's starving, that's what..." Twilight answered. Finally, she worked up the courage to speak to Mikar. "Mikar! Snap out of it! Your instincts are taking over! Stop!"

Instantly, Mikar sucked up the drool from his lips and retracted his venom fangs. His wings settled back into his sides and his pinned-back ears resumed their normal, cocked forward position. His claws retreated back into his paws. His pupils were no longer pinpricks. Now, he was back to normal.

"Sorry about that... I'm still hungry, ya know," Mikar mumbled over his blush.

Glad that the situation was over, Twilight trotted over to the Mayor, who was still staring at Mikar. "Ms. Mayor? Ms. Mayor, it's alright! He's not gonna hu-"

"I know, dear, I know," The Mayor said in a strangely calm voice. "Just... Just give me a moment to relax..."

After a few minutes, the Mayor had finally calmed down enough to talk to Mikar. He told her his life story, she told him about hers. All the while, Twilight explained to Spike what the hay had just happened. The poor dragon had been listening to his iPony and hadn't heard a thing. As the hours ticked by, the Mayor began to trust Mikar. Now she was teling him about her plan to reveal him to the public of Ponyville. Thunder and rain had started up again outside. An empty plate of hayfries sat in front of them.

"Well, that's the thing, dear. Some ponies won't like a bloodthirsty alien on the streets of Ponyville, near their homes, foals, schools... You get the idea," the Mayor explained. Mikar nodded.

"Mhmm. So you're gonna put me up there on stage, in my cloak, and just reveal me?" He asked.

"Yes."

"No speech, no warnings?"

"No, doing that could make some ponies eager, only leading to more surprise."

"Ok... When will we do this?" Mikar asked.

"In a few days. I just need to get a few things together before we do the whole introduction," The Mayor put on a frown and shivered at the thought of Mikar scaring the townsfolk. "And of course, when the rain stops." Looking at the clock, which said 10:47, the Mayor gasped and cantered over to the door.

"Okie-dokey, then, Ms. Mayor. It's been great talking to you," Mikar finished off.

"Of course, dear. Pleasure's all mine!"

The Mayor said goodbye to Twilight before heading out and galloping home through the rain. Again, Mikar's stomach was growling with hunger. He was weak with malnutrition. Twilight heard the growl and trotted over to Mikar's side.

"Hey, Feathers, don't you ever, ever, EVER pull a stunt like that again!" Twilight jokingly smacked Mikar's foreleg. Mikar lowered himself onto the library floor and eyed Twilight.

"It's not like I could control it. How would you feel if I had a hay sandwich, and you hadn't eaten in weeks?" He asked. Twilight pondered the question, before finding a simple answer.

"There's grass for a reason." She said.

Suddenly, Mikar's long tongue flew out of his mouth and smacked Twilight's side, dragging itself up to her neck before retracting. Twilight stood horrified, while Mikar chuckled softly.

"There's ponies for a reason, too!" Mikar said. His stomach grumbled, as if in agreement, before going quiet again. Twilight caught the joke and relaxed. She turned her eyes to him quickly, staring daggers.

"First, that's nasty," Twilight mumbled. "Second, time for bed."

"What? Why?" Mikar asked.

"Because, for being naughty, you're going to bed early." Twilight game him a peck on the cheek before trotting over to the staircase, followed by Mikar's angry gaze.

"You can't punish me! I'm not your kid!" He said with mock anger.

"Well, whose house are you staying in?" She cracked back. Mikar didn't respond. "That's right, Feathers. Off to bed for me and you. Nighty night!"

Twilight then clopped up the stairs, being trailed once again by the green eyes of Mikar. She trotted up and out of sight, and Mikar heard the sounds of a bed creaking and a sleepy baby dragon groaning. Knowing that he couldn't arhue now that his host was asleep, he accepted his fate and curled into a ball on the floor, accidentally knocking a few books from their shelves with his tail. He was too tired to pick them up now. He closed his eyes and was almost to Dreamland, but a mysterious, clever thought crossed his mind.

Ponyville won't be missing just one pony, will they?