//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Treasures Physical and Mental // Story: The Last Man // by YoloSwagginz //------------------------------// The Last Man Chapter 8: Treasures Physical and Mental By: YoloSwagginz The sensation of lying on hay was not something Rainbow Dash could ever really get used to, clouds had always suited her much better, and they also looked much cooler. Regardless of her affinity to comfy sleeping arrangements, the young knight that she had brought into this mess needed someone to be with. He needed comforting somewhat, and Rainbow Dash had felt as if it was her fault for scaring her new friend. He had been visibly shaken and was begging for mercy after his encounter with Twilight, and to this Rainbow was readily sorry, embarrassed actually. She had not realized he was so afraid of magic, and now after Rainbow had forced her friends to leave and made arrangements to sleep in the barn, things had cooled. Even so the hay was uncomfortable, though Jan seemed not to mind. Rainbow Dash slowly walked towards him with a sympathetic look on her face. A glance at the knight said he was still upset somewhat but was feeling better. Jan looked over at her and released his legs from his grip and let them slide to the ground. He saw her sympathetic look, noticed that her ears were crooked in a fashion and that she was embarrassed. He felt kind of bad for her, and also felt bad for not making good friends with the purple one, but alas, she was one of them, an Alicorn. The thoughts of home that had been circulating through Jan's head for the past hour now, were starting to fade. Sometimes he felt like a baby, and admittedly he was scared at certain points, he even felt as if he was representing humanity poorly to these ponies, he did not want to seem a craven, but he needed someone, and here stood this blue Pegasus. "I'm sorry mam" Jan blurted, he look and gave an innocent smile, showing his two missing teeth. Rainbow Dash smiled at him and threw a hoof at the ground and responded with a tone of guilt, "Don't say sorry, I feel like that was my fault. I should have realized your not into magic stuff. I don't know what she was so freaked out about, I mean, you didn't do anything..." "I'm fine now miss Dash, I suppose I over reacted... I hope that all is well, and uh. Do thank Applejack for the accommodations, it was most dear of her..." "I'll let her know, don't worry." Rainbow Dash sat next to the knight and watched him begin his unpacking. First he unbuckled his sword belt and laid it against a stack of hay, he then took his plate leggings and began untying them, after they were off he started for his boots until he noticed that Dash was staring. She had taken notice too and quickly stood and gave a nervous laugh, "Ah, yeah excuse me, didn't mean to be creepin' there. Uh.. Applejack said there was dinner in a bit..." Jan blushed internally and said, "It is normal to wonder I suppose, you have probably never met a human before. I would say our anatomy is quite different. You do not have toes... Hooves rather..." Rainbow Dash was now sitting on her pile of hay and facing the other way. She stretched her wings and then flexed them. "What the hay are toes?" Rainbow looked back at Jan to see him pulling a boot off. He then pulled off a cloth cover and pushed his foot out. He wiggled the oddities around and Dash was shocked. "Those are as weird as your claws!" she almost yelled, Jan corrected her and starting wiggling his fingers, "They are called fingers, not claws...and they work better than hooves for certain things me thinks." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and said with a smirk, "at least I have all my teeth" Jan simply smiled and continued unpacking. After about five minutes all of Jan's gear was lying neatly on the ground, and he was pulling his hair back into a pony tail. He glanced over at Rainbow Dash who was waiting patiently thinking about something and began to feel his hunger. Rainbow Dash was now thinking about Scootaloo, who was running around somewhere with the crusaders. She was going to have to sleep in the barn tonight. Jan was ready to go and walked in front of Dash. He gave her a wide bow and offered his hand to nothing in particular. Rainbow Dash stared at his out stretched hand and made a confused look, "You trying to feed me or something?" Jan looked confused himself and started sputtering, "Uh...w. Well you see, were I come from we... would usually walk a lady to dinner. I'm sorry if that is of some offense." He quickly pulled his hand back and began rubbing his neck. Rainbow Dash had actually a lot of questions for him, like what a female human looked like, or why he wore metal or had a sword... She looked at him said, "You can walk me to dinner, uh... do humans like hold claws or something? I don't have a hand to lend you I could give you the tip of my wing?" Dash stood and extended her wing to Jan. Jan stumbled in his words and said "Well it is not necessary but uh..." Jan's hand slowly extended to her wing and he gingerly grasped her end feathers. He gave a smile and walked her out of the barn and onto the house deck, Rainbow Dash blushed the whole time and realized she liked this weirdo, he was funny... Not the first time she had thought of this. Inside the house was the Scootaloo and Applebloom watching Applejack make dinner... ---------- The cawing emitting from the hole in the ceiling was starting to fry Yulis' nerves. He felt as if leaving was a good idea, but not the idea he wanted. "Nay" he said aloud "Come come, beasts I have a couple tricks for you!" Yulis stared hard into the darkness and was starting to walk forward with the sound of copper plates softly jingling as he moved. The further into the tunnel he got the softer the cawing became, and after about 30 feet the cawing had stopped completely. He heard another high pitched wail come from a ways down the dark hallway, and tensed. The sound of the crow was now gone. Sobel had ceased. He brought the crossbow up to his eye level and began slouching low to the ground moving on three legs, attempting to stay quiet. The sound of bare feet against dirt skittered it's way into Yulis' field of senses. The sound was the foot fall of something limping and it was moving fast. Ragged breathing was now present and Yulis pushed himself into a corner as well as putting out the magic light. Ambient lighting would have to suffice. The sound got louder and louder, until Yulis could see the figure. It looked like an extremely skinny version of Jan. It's skin was grey and it moved forward with a hideous motion. It's eyes were not present and its nose was gone. It was so close Yulis almost split back to the hole, but it kept limp running towards the light at the end of the hallway. Yulis turned his lizard like head slowly and started to taste the air, tongue flickering in and out, gaining the scent of this immortal dead. He tried to taste other things in the air but it was mostly of dust and the old stench of decay. He gave another glance and the skeleton started searching around the hole with it's hands making frustrated grunts after smelling new things. Yulis was going to dispatch it but heard another foot fall. This was not two feet but four. Yulis hunkered down again. This time tasting, listening, and watching. Stumbling down the hallway was something Yulis had not seen before. It was an immortal pony, a Pegasus rather and one one of its wings was missing. This one was also a skeleton and had a hard time moving down the hall towards the past human. It had one tiny patch of fur on its flank and it's tail was about three strands of orange dull hair. It's skin was grey as well and most of the flesh on its head was missing. This made the feathers on Yulis' neck rise as he tried to stay cool. It stumbled passed him and moved towards the light. Bending his head back again he saw the past human exhaling vigorously into the wall and slowly bouncing it's head back and forth against the rock. The Pegasus fell once before reaching the human, it looked up into the light with it's one good eye and tried to make a noise. In all of Yulis' life he had never been more scared and saddened by a sight. These poor creatures had been the survivors of discords initial attack, a thousand years ago. They had learned magic and had cast immortality spells upon themselves in an attempt to survive the fire breathing hell that had exterminated the human race. Yulis could never come to tell Jan about this and had decided to keep it to himself. The skeleton of the human turned away from the wall and started sniffing. It spread it's skinny arms and embraced the dead Pegasus. The pony turned it's head into the human's and Yulis almost felt sad. The next thing that happened had made Yulis lose himself. The sound of a loud voice boomed and he could tell who it came from. At the top of the hole in the ceiling came the gruff voice of a Minotaur barking about "a debt". The sound of stone scraping echoed thought the hall and then there was nothing but darkness. Yulis swallowed hard and stood in the pitch black darkness. He stood there listening for the immortal dead and held his crossbow with a nervous shake. All he could do was smell and listen. The magic book would not work if he could not see the words, and now Yulis' entire being was in a state nervous anticipation and he, ready to kill anything that touched him. He was now down in a crypt 600 feet below with multiple dead roaming and waiting. A loud clang sounded from the darkness behind Yulis. He was quite intimidated. The manuscripts, gold, and blueprints Yulis had come here for, did not seem so valuable anymore. ---------- Jan stood in the kitchen after walking in the now flustered Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was blushing and standing next to the table swishing her tail slowly. Jan looked down and back at her with a fluttering in his chest. He was happy he knew her, she was pretty cool. In other parts of the kitchen stood the hard at work Applejack and Applebloom watching attentively. Scootaloo had been almost asleep until she had seen Rainbow Dash, and with vigor she moved quickly into a hug, which Rainbow was happy to oblige. After seeing the loving embrase, Jan was now trying to figure what their relationship was. Was this small one her daughter? She was adorable in some fashion as well, the two looked happy together... Jan looked around the kitchen and stretched. He was going to start sitting peop- ponies into chairs as any courteous man would, until the sound of a crow was heard from outside. The crow came to the window and started pecking furiously, until the glass started cracking...