//------------------------------// // The colour of alien encounter // Story: Six-headed: Calcination // by SirEdgen //------------------------------// "To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends I don’t doubt that you’ve observed the strange sight in the skies two days ago. I’m also sure that by now you’ve researched quite a number of tomes and studies to learn its true nature. While we're still not closer to finding the cause, my sister and I may have encountered the key to understanding this phenomenon. We assume that the strange ring, somehow formed from the northern lights, could act like a portal between dimensions. And thanks to this portal we have a new guest in our castle, the creature that you of all ponies should be very familiar with – a human, not unlike those who you’ve met when you used Starswirl’s mirror. Sadly, he himself can't provide any more clues about this situation, as he wasn't in control of his trip. Princess Luna and I invite you and all your friends for a lunch at our castle, so we could exchange thoughts and, more importantly, introduce you to our new friend. Your loving mentor, Princess Celestia P.S. Please, ask Pinkie Pie to tone down her usual cheerfulness, just a little bit. Our new friend seems to dislike excessive noise and attention" ***** Twilight spent most of the flying chariot ride to the castle occupied with two things - and torn between them. The first one was re-reading her mentor's letter over and over again. This short message offered so much new information! Suddenly the weird meteorological anomaly became one of the biggest sensations in the world of magic study, and it brought a hapless alien creature from another dimension! Her memories about the world on the other side of the mirror were pretty vague, but thankfully she had enough of them to still know who the humans were - and now she had a chance to interact with of them once more. But Twilight's researcher enthusiasm was overshadowed by concern about this human being. Nopony is ready for sudden trips to another world. Although he - seems to be this human is a male - is in safe hooves, the sooner she and other mages will find a way to return him to his home, the better. When Twilight wasn't thinking about the content of the letter, she was consumed by fear and guilt. It would be the first time she met Princess Celestia in person after she had rejected the title of the Princess of Friendship and the alicorn form. Twilight had no doubt that her mentor was very disappointed in her despite Celestia's assurances to the contrary. And worst of all, Spike, who truly understood the roots of her anxiety and could calm her down, was unable to go along with the everypony due to yet another CMC venture. He was dragged from the tree library early in the morning and was unheard of ever since. It seems that the three fillies developed a fascination with siege mechanisms - like catapults - lately, and were performing progressively more dangerous experiments with them. Spike's safety added to the troubling thoughts in her head, and... A gentle touch on her flank interrupted Twilight's thoughts. She turned around to see Fluttershy's gentle smile. "Princess Celestia loves you no matter what you choose, Twilight. She must understand your decision better than anypony. Everything is going to be alright!" Somewhat calmed by pegasus' soft voice, Twilight smiled back at her friend. Than the unicorn took a deep breath and returned her attention to the letter and glanced over the part that told about the human one more time. Her smile widened - now her friends would finally get a chance to meet one of those fascinating creatures! "...all I'm sayin' is that Apple Bloom's been all weird lately." "Exactly how "weird", darling?" Increasing worry in Applejack's voice reminded Twilight about the present. She faced the farmer pony and reassuringly smiled to show that now she too was paying attention. "I just...it's not that she's actin' up, more like... sometimes just upset and quiet out of the blue, ya know?" "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Applejack! APPLEJACK! I know EXACTLY what to do!" "Thank you, Pinkie, but we must the last big order of this month before we throw any parties. Hm... She didn't tell she was tired, but I did give her more of chores then usually... Maybe if I just do all by myself and let her finish them CMC thingamajig she'll finally cheer up." Twilight frowned thoughtfully. "So, Apple Bloom herself doesn't tell what's wrong?" "Not a single word. "I'm fine, sis". "What do ya mean, sis?" But I know somethin's amiss." "Agh! Can you just relax, Applehead? She's probably just pissed off because Cheerilee dumped over her extra homework. It's always the same thing with these teachers, right, Fluttershy? Remember old mrs. Tailslide? Couldn't give me a break." "Um... I never got any extra homework... I'm not sure any of us did." Rainbow Dash scratched her head in visible confusion. "Wait, what? Nopony? Never-ever?" Fluttershy only shook her head, carefully avoiding any eye contact with Rainbow Dash. "That's not fair! How come I had to do a bunch of boring stuff?" Rarity couldn't contain a delicate little giggle when she realized the reason of Fluttershy's reluctance. "What now? What's so funny?" "Rainbow Dash, could it possibly be that you always neglected your homework altogether?" "Erm... It has nothing to do with anything!" With her friends laughing, Applejack finally smiled too. Rainbow Dash was right - it probably was something small that could wait. Meanwhile, absorbed in chatter with her friends, Twilight completely forgot to tell them, especially Pinkie Pie, about the very last part of the letter…. ***** Meanwhile, the "fascinating creature" himself had lots on his mind too. In half an hour he would meet with royal mage council to hear about their progress in finding the way back to his world. Right after that he would join lunch with the princesses' chosen heroines. He wasn't eager for either of those events. Just like many wizards from his favorite "Forgotten Realms" novels, royal mages proved to be eccentric and more interested in studying him than actually helping - at least, until Luna firmly discouraged them from treating him like an experiment specimen. Most of them quickly realized their mistake and apologized. Most of them. One of the council, the oldest and presumably one of the strongest of them all, constantly tried to reach to the human's head and, according to the unicorn's own muttering, tear out a hair or two. The situation was even more bizarre since the old mage tried to do that without using any magic, which resulted in awkward attempts to climb on the confused human. The subject of the old unicorn's interest didn't even know how to respond to all this, since neither Celestia and Luna, nor the mage colleagues paid much attention to his antics and didn't bother reminding him to use his horn. Weather it would be more polite to tear out some of his hear, lift the old mage so he could get what he wanted himself, or don't encourage his strange obsession at all and just ignore him like the rest of the present - the human didn't know. The upcoming lunch was even worse. At first the human was only mildly nervous about it. If the Bearers proved to be as informal and friendly as the princesses, he would just sit there, agree to everything and answer a pair of questions, no problem. However it wasn't the case. After yet another trip to the royal library, he glanced over to the dining hall, where servants were already preparing the table. The sheer number of various spoons, forks and knives almost sent him into panic. After a few deep inhales that made him looks like a dying fish, the human rushed back to the library while hiding his face in one of his books so that noon... nopony could see his distress. His anxiety grew even more when he discovered that there were no books about proper pony etiquette in plain sight. And he couldn't build up his courage to ask any of endless maids and butlers to teach him - he didn't want hard-workers' time to be wasted on something that he should've double checked and learned himself in advance. The approaching sound of metal-clad hooves slightly startled the human. He turned around to see the same guard that usually escorted him around the castle. Unlike many guards, he had light-brown coat. With dark-gray mane and light-green eyes, he looked much less... vibrant than other equestrians, which was a relief for the human's eyes. The guard's cutie mark, as always, was hidden beneath heavy armor. "Excuse me, sir, the council awaits you. The Princesses are already there, too" While they were heading towards the northern wing of the castle, the human was thoughtfully eyeing the armored pony. We're already walking, right? No harm engaging in a small talk. He must've been on plenty high society gatherings to know something about these damn plates and spoons. What's his name again? Can't mix this one up... Ardent... Ardent March, here it is. Thank god they use such simple names that actually mean something and not crazy gibberish like us. Wait... What if he thinks that I'm just bragging about sitting at the same table with princesses and those Elements? No, that can't be right, I've already had meals with Celestia and Luna, he didn't seem to think I'm some jerk. Okay, here goes... "Excuse me, Ardent March..." - he started, only to remember that he didn't know if the guard had any officer rank. The human barely restrained himself from facepalming. "Yes, sir?" Ardent's response, even if formal, still had a mild tone of genuine care that reassured the human. "I just wanted to ask..." The human suddenly stopped, silent. He made one more step just to hear a muffled "clop" behind him. The human sighed and turned around to see his latest new and only fan. The old wizard's big indigo eyes looked at the human with unnerving inquisitiveness. One moment later the old pony was already trying to climb on his subject of study - as always, in vain. With his tongue stuck out due to physical strain, the top of his gray oversized cone-shaped hat swinging back and forth and hind legs waving helplessly as the pony tried his best to pull himself up and climb the human, the latter could almost feel that he wanted to smile. The human nervously looked at Ardent March, so the guard would know that the delay wasn't of his own will. Ardent shrugged in response and pointed on his mane with a hoof. That simple advice was the only one that the human needed at that moment. ***** Escorted through opulent hallways, the Elements were eyeing around. While her friends were simply admiring the castle, Twilight couldn't help but to look for her mentor. Shortly after arrival, they learnt that the princesses and their guest were still on the meeting with the royal mages. When asked if she would like to wait in the dining hall or meet with her mentor in the Mages Wing, Twilight chose the latter option. Now, despite knowing perfectly where they were going, the purple unicorn kept glancing all over the place, as if Celestia would jump out from behind the curtains or from some ornate vase just to spook her. The first sign of them being on the right track was one confusing encounter. Rarity was just too busy complementing red-and-gold tapestries with scenes from early Equestria era, when she was almost trampled by an old pony dressed in the dark purple mantle and gray cone-shaped hat. None of the Elements was quick enough to say or do something - the offender was already sprinting away with the speed surprising for his age. "Professor Far Realm!.." tried to call him Twilight. The old mage briefly stopped - not to look at whomever shouted his name, but to once more admire his prize. "This humble fool was blessed by the critically axiomatic monkey! The starless night once more stutters in our wake!" Twilight and her friends, as well as their escort, stood speechless, staring at Far Realm until he left their sight. With Applejack's help, Rarity regained her stance. Her muzzle pictured extreme resentment. "Twilight, don't tell that this ruffian is your acquaintance!" The other unicorn tried to mask her embarrassment with nervous laugh. "I'm so sorry, Rarity. This is professor Far Realm. He used to be one of my teachers. He may seem..." "Brutish and quite phrenetic?" - the white unicorn prompted while checking if her mane was disheveled - it indeed was. "... Eccentric, but he is one of the wisest professionals in strange and forgotten forms of magic in our land... Maybe, in the whole world!" Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie started springing even higher. "Twilight, you guys even have MONKEYS here? Fluttershy, how come you didn't tell they had monkeys?! That's the best castle EVER!.. But I don't know what the other words mean!" But Twilight only shook her head. "By "monkey" professor must've meant the human we're supposed to meet with. Although... "Axiomatic" means something so obviously truthful that it needs no evidence to back it up... But I don't know how you can be critically self-evident" "And the last part? About some night without stars?" asked Applejack, scratching back of her head. "No idea. They say that professor can be the disciple of Star Swirl the Bearded himself, and nopony knows for sure how old is Far Realm. We can only hope his research results will be more comprehensive" As they continued their trip, Twilight's vigilance finally paid off. She was the first besides the guard to spot the small group, slowly walking towards them. Fully immersed in their conversation, no one from the approaching company paid attention to the newcomers. Soon, they could hear the dialogue. "... so there is no way to trace even the method that had been used" "The magic that brought you here was apparently so powerful that we can't detect anything, Your home world can even be in the dimension different from ours!" "Which fits quite nicely in my "Outer Spheres" theory! Oh, can't wait to publish this..." Two mages were promptly silenced by Luna's angry cough. They turned around to the tall figure behind them. "If we find something, we'll immediately let you know. However..." They looked at each other, needlessly trying to find a better way to say something that they've already stated in their professional zeal. After Celestia's acknowledging nod, they bowed and went in the opposing direction, returning to their wizardly routine. Both princesses looked at the alien creature. "We are sorry..." "...Thank you very much. I couldn't ask for more that you've already done," it softly replied in deep, pleasant baritone after short, but tangible pause. Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends were carefully watching the human. While twelve eyes studied their soon-to-be new acquaintance, each pair concentrated on different things. Fluttershy was very nervous. The newcomer was big. While not as huge as Iron Will the minotaur, he still towered above any of them, more than half as much tall. The only ones who rivaled him in height were the two princesses. However, the longer Fluttershy observed this human, the more she realized something. This creature wasn't threatening at all. With its back slightly hunched and its voice quiet, it showed no signs of aggression or dominance. Fluttershy slightly blushed. As Twilight said, it was here because of some magical mishap. It was in trouble and needed their support, not fear. But the yellow pegasus still couldn't shake off some weird feeling about the human, as if there was something... unnatural about him. Rarity's trained eye was studying the human's attire. She wasn't impressed. The creature was dressed in monotone dark-gray clothes - some sort of jacked, light shirt and pants. It didn't appear to have hooves. Instead, its feet were covered in some sort of hardened socks. The material, however, looked very strange, unlike anything that Rarity had ever worked with. On one of his shoulders the human had s weird backpack, slightly lighter in colour, but definitely made from the same material. At least his face was clean-shaven and his mane, or rather hair, short and dark-brown, kept clean, although in a rather simple style. Rarity smiled. A whole new area to work with, a new challenge for her as the fashion designer. Rainbow Dash wasn't impressed either. Twilight's hazy recollection seemed to paint humans as colourful, bright and interesting. This one wasn't any of these things. Palish-pink skin with little to no fur. He was more out of shape than in, without any visibly developed muscles. If any humans in his world had interest in sports, he wasn't one of those. While the old mage's insane ramblings sparked even more interest in this alien, he didn't have any claws or huge fangs, even tail. He was huge, sure. But so were many breathtaking enemies that they met and defeated. Each one had something unique about them, while this human, despite being very real alien that somehow showed up from the northern lights in the skies, was... just boring. Pinkie Pie couldn't care less about how her new friend looked. Filled with extreme excitement, she barely contained her energy. Her jumps were becoming shorter and quicker, as if she was shaking herself like a pony cocktail. However, something bothered her. But what? She frowned, studying the human, tongue stuck out as her thoughts jumped all around her head. He could certainly use some confetti. A welcome cake was in order, too... but the princesses surely covered it with their fancy chefs. A sudden realization struck her awhile after, but it wasn't one of "light bulb above head" moments that she loved. Her jumps started to lose speed. The human was smiling. A gentle, polite smile that showed no teeth. A genuine smile for a fun and parties amateur. For Pinkie, it was the foulest fake smile she had ever seen. Now she simply needed to do something. Pinkie Pie looked into the stranger's eyes once more. They weren't smiling at all. And those eyes... "What a pile of horseradish". That was Applejack's final verdict. While she was patiently waiting with others, apple farmer heard every single word that came from the human's mouth. Nearly every single phrase of his had lies in it. Even when he thanked the princesses, there was a lie. Applejack sighed. Still, his deception had no malice in it. Quite opposite, really. This guy seemed to go out of his way to convince everypony - maybe even himself - that everything was fine. A rather nasty kind of lie. His eyes betrayed his thoughts too. Applejack couldn't resist a kind smirk. This guy wasn't a natural liar at all. He reminded Applejack of her own clumsy lies from the time she was under Discord's spell. The human managed to do a little better. But her smirk faded away shortly after. His eyes... Not as big as pony eyes, they still showed many feelings. None of them were good. Irritation. Exhaustion. Most importantly, apprehension. And those eyes... Twilight's horn was dimly glowing. She tried her best to not to disturb anypony while scanning the human. He had no magical aura whatsoever, no residual traces of energy. The royal mages said that the magic used to transport the human was so powerful and complex, that for them it was unreadable. Finally, she stopped. Maybe later, if he agrees, they will run a few more tests in her lab. Who knows, they might find something. Her gaze traveled all over him. Past his figure and clothes, past his skin and hair. Yes, despite him being very different from humans she remembered, he definitely was one. Unavoidably, she looked into his eyes. A moment later, he and the princesses finished talking and recognized that they had company. And then Twilight's and human's eyes met. Just like her friends, the purple unicorn found his eyes... eerie. "Is he... sick? No..." started trembling yet again Fluttershy. "What an abhorrent manifestation," concluded Rarity with disgust. "Like a dead fish," thought Rainbow Dash. "That's... that's just not right," felt a chill down her spine Pinkie Pie. "A rotten core?" rose her brow Applejack in disbelief. Twilight's thought went back to several days ago. When she saw that abnormal aurora borealis, she couldn't discern its colour. Sometimes dark-brown. Sometimes light-violet. That colour wasn't pleasant to look at. Now, staring into the human's eyes, which had the very same aberrant colour, she understood why. As she nervously smile to greet approaching company, she thought: "I only hope it isn't as bad as I think."