//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: A Helping Hoof // Story: The Last Man Standing // by Robobrony //------------------------------// The Last Man Standing Chapter Two: A Helping Hoof “It is a pleasure to meet you Nathan.” Celestia said with a smile. “A pleasure to meet you as well. I can’t thank you enough for getting me out of that predicament.” Nathan said. “Well then, I shall leave you in the care of my student and her friends then so they may properly assist you in integrating into our society. I must be going now, royal duties call. Welcome to Equestria Nathan.” Celestia said. She lit up her horn and, in a brilliant flash, teleported away. “Wow, that princess sure likes to make an exit.” Nathan said. “So….does this mean I have to stick with you girls?” He asked as he looked over the group. “Not that I’m complaining.” He then added. “Darn tootin partner.” Applejack answered with a smile. “Don’t worry, you’re in very capable hooves.” Twilight said, also with a smile. “Not like I have anywhere else to go, so where to?” Nathan asked. The group started walking as they talked. “We’re going to Ponyville darling, it’s our hometown.” Rarity informed. “It’s a great place. Everypony there is so friendly and nice.” Pinkie said as she hopped along with the group. “It’s a small town, but it is nice.” Twilight informed. “Though you may get some odd looks once we get there.” “Hey, I’m used to it by now. I’ve been gawked at by ponies for six months while at that cirOW!” Nathan suddenly called out in mid-sentence. He fell to the ground on his butt and held his foot. He then sucked in air through his teeth making a hissing sound as he held his foot. “Ah.” “Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Pinkie asked. The girls and Spike gathered around him in worry. “Oh my, darling, are you all right?” Rarity then asked. “What happened?” Applejack asked. “Aahh, I think I stepped on something sharp.” Nathan answered. He managed to pull his foot close to where he could look at the bottom of it. He saw a small piece of glass sticking out of his foot. There was a broken bottle of apple juice nearby on the ground. “Aw man, son of a bitch that hurt.” The group looked at him curiously for his choice of language. He noticed the looks he was getting from them and responded. “Sorry, human language, probably best you not repeat that stuff.” “If you say so. We need to tend to your injury now though so let’s get going.” Twilight said. “Can you walk?” “Yeah, but it won’t be easy going.” Nathan responded. “Come on then, get up and I’ll let you ride on my back.” Applejack offered. Nathan looked at her curiously. “Are you sure?” “Course I am, I wouldn’t have offered if’n I weren’t.” Applejack stated with a smile. Rarity and Rainbow helped Nathan stand back up and got him on Applejack’s back. “You sure I’m not too heavy?” Nathan asked. “Don’t worry bout it, I’m stronger than I look.” Applejack responded. “Thanks, you ponies sure are nice.” Nathan stated. “Man, you humans aren’t very durable are you?” Rainbow Dash asked. Her question was met with a light glare from Twilight. “What?” “Rainbow, that wasn’t very nice.” Twilight said. Nathan interrupted. “It’s fine Twilight. She’s right, we humans are pretty fragile. The bottoms of our feet aren’t hard like a pony’s hooves. Normally, we humans walk around with shoes to protect our feet.” He explained. He then gave a shiver as a gust of wind passed by and wrapped his arms around himself. “Brrr, we also normally wear clothes to protect ourselves from the elements.” “Well then, I think it’s clear where we need to go first, my place.” Rarity said. “We need to get you some clothes and these shoes for your feet.” “Then later, we can throw you a welcome to Ponyville party!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “If I’m not mistaken, it’s around fall isn’t it?” Nathan asked. “Yeah, it is.” Spike answered. “That would explain why it seems so cold.” Nathan responded. They soon reached Ponyville and made their way through. Just like the girls said, Nathan was getting odd looks. “Look mommy, it’s that thing from the circus we saw.” A little colt said. “Good heavens, what is it doing out of its cage, and why is it riding that mare?” The mother of the colt asked. Rainbow flew over to the pair and got in the mother’s face. “Hey, he’s not a thing, he’s a human and he’s our friend. The guy was just tricked into acting like a mindless animal by that rotten ring master.” Twilight used her magic to pull Dash away from the mare by her tail. “Easy Rainbow, they’ll all learn that in time.” She said. Nathan had his hands on Applejack’s shoulders as she carried him through town. He could feel the muscles move about as she walked. “Wow Applejack, you weren’t kidding about the stronger than you look comment. I can feel those muscles. You must be strong.” “Uh, thank ya Nathan.” Applejack blushed a little at the compliment. To her relief, Nathan couldn’t see it from his position. They soon reached Rarity’s boutique. “And here we are, my home sweet home.” Rarity cheered. She used her magic to open the door for everypony. “Take him into the kitchen Applejack, if you would please.” “Sure thing.” Applejack answered. Applejack walked to the kitchen with the others behind. Rarity used her magic to pull out a chair from her kitchen dining table. “Have a seat here and we’ll get that foot of yours treated.” Nathan climbed off Applejack’s back with Dash and Pinkie Pie holding him so he wouldn’t fall. He hopped over to the chair and the two set him down easy. “Thanks girls.” Nathan said with an appreciative smile. He removed his guitar from his back and leaned it against the table. “Now you just sit there a moment and I’ll retrieve my first aid kit.” Rarity walked over to her kitchen sink and pulled out a med kit from under it with her magic. She walked back over and set to work. She treated Nathan’s small wound and wrapped his foot up with a bandage. “There we are, how does that feel now?” “Better thanks.” Nathan said. “Man, you ponies are the nicest beings I’ve ever met.” “Aren’t humans the same way?” Spike asked. “Some are, but some aren’t. And I haven’t met too many people as nice as you all are being.” Nathan informed. “Really?” Fluttershy asked. “Gosh, so….not all humans are nice then?” “Nope.” Nathan answered. “Some humans are just as nice as you lot are being while others are selfish and greedy and only care about themselves.” “Oh my, that does sound bad…the greedy part I mean.” Fluttershy said. Nathan then spoke to change the subject. “So, which one of you lucky mare’s gets me as a roommate.” He said jokingly. “Ooh, ooh, me me me me!” Pinkie cheered as she waved her hooves frantically. “You can stay with me. I got plenty of room in my room at Sugarcube Corner.” “Pinkie Pie, dear, don’t you think you need to ask permission from the cakes first since it’s their house?” Rarity pointed out. “Oh yeah, good point.” Pinkie responded. “Well, I don’t suppose you humans can walk on clouds can you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No, why?” Nathan asked with a confused look. “My home is made of clouds. Since you can’t walk on clouds, then guess I’m out of the selection. Too bad too, you seem like you’d be a fun roommate.” Dash added. “I’d offer myself, but I don’t have a spare room or bed.” Twilight said. “Sorry partner, but my house is out too, no extra room.” Applejack said. “I’m afraid I’m out as well, so sorry dear.” Rarity stated. One by one, they each looked a little regretful that they couldn’t put him up with them. “Um…I suppose….he could stay with me…if you want to that is.” Fluttershy offered. Nathan gave a smile. “Thank you Fluttershy, I’d really appreciate that.” Fluttershy smiled back. “Wonderful, now that that’s settled, let’s get to work on getting you a new wardrobe.” Rarity said with a smile. “Come along Nathan, I need to take your measurements.” Rarity started for the main room of her boutique. Nathan stood up and followed her out with the others behind. “You girls are welcome to wait here and see what I cook up if you like.” Rarity offered. The girls and Spike nodded in agreement as they gathered around the main room of the boutique. Nathan followed Rarity upstairs and to her work room. “Now then, I need you to remove your pants so I may take proper measurements of your form.” “Um, I-I don’t know about that, you see…..I don’t have anything on underneath.” Nathan said, nearly blushing. “Oh come now dear, in case you hadn’t noticed, we don’t exactly normally wear clothes ourselves. It’s really more for special occasions and such.” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof. “Look…..it’s just….well….” Nathan stuttered. “Humans….tend to wear clothes all the time, it’s considered common decency. It just seems wrong to be butt naked in front of others unless….” He stopped there. “Nathan, darling, I assure you, you have nothing to be ashamed of, I am a professional after all.” Rarity stated with a reassuring smile. Nathan gave a defeated sigh. He blushed a little as he began to undo the rope that kept his pants up and let them drop. He quickly cupped his hands to cover his personal parts so as to keep them hidden from sight. Rarity rolled her eyes with a smile and levitated a strip of measuring tape over. “Nathan, do remove your hands and spread out your arms so I can measure your arm lengths.” Nathan’s face went a little redder. He looked up and spread his arms out. Rarity stretched out the tape and began taking measurements. “Rarity, I’m home from…..” A small squeaky voice called out then stopped. Nathan looked over to the door to the room and saw a slack jawed little white unicorn with a two toned mane of light pink and light purple with green eyes staring at him. His face went even redder. He quickly covered his shame. “Hello Sweetie Belle, how was school?” Rarity asked casually. “AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” The little unicorn screamed out in a high pitched wail. “MONSTER!” She ran out of the room. “Sweetie Belle wait!” Rarity called as she ran after the unicorn that was most likely scarred for life. Nathan quickly pulled his pants up and tried to chase after them. Some time later after explanations and a couple unnecessary apologies from the ‘monster’, things had settled down a bit. “So, you’re a human?” Sweetie Belle asked. She, her sister, and Nathan were in Rarity’s work room as they talked. Rarity opted to first take measurements of Nathan’s upper body first. “That’s right, sorry again about the scare earlier.” Nathan said with a smile. “It’s all right.” The little unicorn identified as Sweetie Belle said. She then turned to her big sister. “But Rarity, how come you didn’t take me to the circus with you and the other’s?” She asked with sad eyes. “Because dear, you had school today, I wasn’t about to let you miss out on school.” Rarity said. “No fair.” Sweetie pouted. Nathan couldn’t help but find it cute. “You got to go have fun while I was in school.” “Now Sweetie Belle, I promise to make it up to you this weekend, the circus will still be in town for a while, we can go then.” Rarity offered. “Really?” Sweetie Belle perked up. “COOL! Can my friends come too?” She asked. Rarity smiled as she answered. “I imagine we would all go again, so yes.” She said, referring to her friends downstairs. “All right Nathan, I have the necessary measurements for your upper body, now I will need you to remove your pants for your lower body.” “Um, don’t you think your little sister should leave for this part?” Nathan asked. “It’s bad enough for me to be stripping in front of you, but a little kid?” “Very well.” Rarity stated. She turned to her sister sitting on her bed. “Sweetie dear, why don’t you go stay with the girls downstairs while I take care of Nathan.” “Okay.” Sweetie Belle hopped off the bed and trotted for the door. “It’s nice meeting you Nathan.” Sweetie Belle said before leaving. Once the little unicorn was gone, Nathan turned his attention back to Rarity. “I can’t believe you and your friends are thinking about going back to that circus, especially after how they treated me.” “Now Nathan, I know you’re upset at the ring master for what he did to you, but it’s all in good fun, the circus I mean. Besides, I feel bad that we went and I, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash left Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom out. The two I just mentioned are Sweetie Belle’s friends by the way.” Rarity added. Nathan dropped his pants again, the conversation helped keep his mind off of feeling self-conscious about being naked in front of a mare as she took his measurements. “Well you can count me out, I’ve had enough circus time for the rest of my life. That ring master is lucky a punch and a kick was all he got from me, but he wasn’t worth the effort for me to do more to him.” “Not to worry, we won’t make you go back there. I would imagine it would be the last place you’d want to go.” Rarity finished her measurements. “You may pull your pants up now Nathan.” He did so as Rarity jotted down the measurements on a notepad in her aura. “Oooh, this is so fascinating.” Her giddiness started to show. “I’ve never designed an outfit for a creature with your physique, this will be quit the challenge.” She said as she beamed. “Look, I don’t need anything fancy, just some regular everyday clothes.” Nathan said. “Yes, of course dear, not to worry, I’ll have you a new set of clothes in no time.” Rarity stated with a smile. “Just one more thing Nathan, would you mind explaining human fashion?” She asked. “Well, to be honest, I’m not really all that picky on what I wear. Though, I am keen on a country western look. The band I was with was a country music type band. So…” Rarity interrupted. “Say no more, I’ll have something to suit you just fine momentarily.” She then set to work. Minutes passed as Rarity worked on an outfit for Nathan. The girls and Sweetie Belle talked amongst themselves as they waited to see what Rarity would make for him. Eventually, she trotted down the stairs and called out to them. “My friends, I give you…Nathan.” She said with a flair of her left hoof pointing to Nathan. He slowly descended the stairs and into everypony’s view. “Oh my.” Fluttershy stated. “Whoa.” Rainbow expressed. “Well I’ll be.” Applejack said with a smile. “Wow, you look good.” Pinkie said. “Thanks.” Nathan said. He was wearing a red and white plaid button up shirt with blue jeans held up by a brown belt and an oval almost gold colored belt buckle. His feet were covered by a pair of brown western boots. Atop his head rested a Stetson hat with a black band around the base. “Pretty neat huh? Rarity did a great job.” He said as he looked himself over. He tapped his left heel twice to get a good feel for the boots. He was also wearing a brown jacket with white fluff on the inside and the collar of it folded down around his neck. “Wow Nathan, you look nice.” Twilight stated. “Thanks Rarity, I really like this outfit you made me.” Nathan said as he turned to the fashionista. She waved a hoof. “No thanks necessary dearie, I’m just glad to help.” He gave a slightly stern look. “Now miss Rarity, I ain’t about ta let ya get away without some form o’ gratitude.” He said in a country western accent. “A true gentleman never lets a lady go without a thank ya for an act o’ kindness.” Sweetie Belle finally walked up to him and looked up at him. She was still curiuos about Nathan and wanted to get a good look at him. Nathan looked down at her and got a good look at Sweetie Belle this time. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought how cute she looked. He kneeled down on his right knee, rested his right arm on his left leg, and spoke. “Sweetie Belle, you are, without a doubt, the cutest thing I ever did see.” Sweetie Belle blushed a little. Nathan then put his left hand at the side of her head and rubbed lightly. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes in content. The others smiled at the scene. Nathan suddenly scooped Sweetie Belle up in his arms as he stood up and held her out in front of him. “So, you ever been given a piggy back ride?” He asked. Sweetie cocked an eyebrow at the question. “A what?” Nathan didn’t answer. Instead, he placed her on his back with her hind legs and flank supported by his hands while her forelegs hung over his shoulders. “This is a piggy back ride.” He then gave a light jog around the room. Sweetie Belle squealed in delight and was giggling up a storm. Nathan then went into a kind of gallop, letting her bounce in his arms. Sweetie Belle continued to laugh more in enjoyment. “Well aint that something.” Applejack said as she watched the scene. “Gosh, that looks like fun.” Pinkie stated. “Can I go next?” She asked. After a while, Nathan stopped and set Sweetie Belle down. “So, how’d you like that?” He asked, breathing a little hard. “That was fun, can I do it again sometime?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Sure thing.” His stomach let out a growl. “Sound’s like somepony is hungry.” Pinkie pointed out. “Or should I say human?” Nathan gave a sheepish laugh. “Heh heh, yeah, guess with everything that’s happened, I kinda forgot how hungry I was.” “Well what are we waiting for, let’s eat.” Pinkie stated as she quickly zipped to Rarity’s kitchen and began to cook up a storm. Rarity went in to help. Twilight and Applejack went to get a few extra chairs Rarity had for the table and set them up. “Anything I can do to help?” Nathan asked. “It’s okay Nathan, we got this.” Twilight said. “How about some music to work to?” He offered. “I could play you all a song while you work. “That sounds mighty nice, sure thing sugar cube.” Applejack said. Nathan went over to the table and sat down in a chair, then grabbed his guitar and gave it a few test strums. “Normally, the band I was with played country music, but I also like rock and roll type music. Another thing, that ring master that held me prisoner enchanted my guitar so whenever I play music, you can hear the full effect, meaning you’ll hear the other instruments that are played for the song. It was something he did for his own amusement and made me play for him alone. It would be nice to be able to play for others. This song is called, the last man standing. It’s from a music artist from my world named Bon Jovi.” Those that weren’t helping set up dinner gathered around to listen. Nathan began to play, his guitar started to glow yellow and the music started up. (Bon Jovi, Last Man Standing) Once he was done, he was met with a round of applause from every pony and dinner was ready. “That…was so….AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash expressed. “Gosh, I’ve never heard music like that before.” Spike said. “Not really my cup of tea, but it was enjoyable.” Rarity stated. “I thought it sounded nice.” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ll say , that really made me want to dance.” Pinkie expressed. Nathan gave a smile. “I’m glad you all liked it, maybe later, I’ll play another song for you girls.” He offered. “That would be nice, thank you Nathan.” Fluttershy said. Nathan let his guitar lean against the table next to him as the others gathered around the table to eat. Pinkie and Rarity had made some veggie burgers for everypony with some hayfries. Nathan eyed the food at first. He decided to try the hayfries first. He picked one up and took a bite. “Hmm, not bad, tastes like French fries.” “French fries?” Twilight questioned. “They’re like these hayfries, but they’re made out of potatoes.” Nathan explained. He then picked up the burger and took a bite of that to try. “Mmmm.” He moaned out in pleasure. The burger may have been made from veggies, but it tasted almost as good as a regular burger. Plus, this was the first decent meal he’s had in a long time. He didn’t waste time and chowed down. The girls watched him go. Rarity and Twilight with a bit of disgust, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spike and Sweetie with confusion, and Pinkie Pie with a straight face. Nathan paused halfway through his burger when he noticed the looks he was getting. “Sorry.” He said with a mouthful. He then swallowed and continued. “It’s just this is the first decent meal I’ve had in a long time, it’s really good. Almost as good as a regular hamburger.” This got everypony to look at him in confusion. “A…hamburger?” Spike questioned. “What’s that?” Rainbow asked. “A hamburger is a meat patty made from cow meat with whatever else you might want on it.” An awkward silence filled the room after that sentence. Nathan soon realized why. “Oh…uh…well….oh boy.” He was speechless. “Nathan….what kind of diet do humans have?” Twilight asked. Nathan set his burger down and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Well….humans are….omnivorous…meaning….we can eat fruits and vegetables as well….as….meat. But, I would never dream of eating a pony. It’s not like we go around killing other animals like wild animals or anything.” He tried to amend. “Nathan, cows in this world are smart like us.” Applejack said with an uneasy look. “They talk and think just like anypony.” “Well then, that means cow will be off the menu.” Nathan stated. “I’m not about to go killing an animal that can talk.” The group seemed to ease up a bit at his words. “Well, while it isn’t really that big an issue, it’s understandable.” Twilight said. “There are gryphons in Equestria and they eat meat.” “And….some of my animal friends eat meat too.” Fluttershy said. “So….um…it doesn’t really….bother me that much either.” Nathan gave a sigh. “Oh good, I was afraid I might’ve gotten chased out or something.” With that out of the way, the tension left and everypony continued to eat. After the meal, it was now time for every pony to head on home. Goodbyes said and Nathan was making his way through town to Fluttershy’s place with his guitar on his back. “Nathan?” Fluttershy said. Nathan looked to Fluttershy. “Yes Fluttershy?” “Um…since you…eat meat….um…..I…I could show you a place where I usually get some for some of my animal friends.” She stated. “It’s a….fairly new shop run by a gryphon. Since Ponyville started getting some visits from gryphons, one opened a place to eat that serves meat. He caters to everypony’s need. He serves not just gryphons but ponies too.” “Really? Thank you Fluttershy, that would be helpful.” Nathan said with a smile. Fluttershy gave a smile back.