//------------------------------// // Home Improvement // Story: Walking Giant // by Gairenard //------------------------------// Chapter 2- Home Improvement A painful sound of rock grinding against stone came from the door before someone knocked on it. Twilight opened the door and saw the rock in question that had presumably once been part of the castle ceiling or wall had been shoved to the side. The six mares began to enter the castle with Twilight leading. The ponies gazed upward at the giant who was already retreating back into the castle faster than they could follow. With his back toward them, they could see in vague detail the Shovaxe hanging from yonder belt. The light gleaming off its aggressive shape made them blink twice, yet the tool was fascinating to the extreme out of the sheer brilliance in the design. Twilight was paying less attention to the tool, but more of her scrutiny towards the rest of him. “His is one of the bigger things we’ve encountered, but smaller than a full grown dragon…” AppleJack, a hard core farmer who knew her tools, was particularly entranced by this object. Her eyes grew wide in the wake of its magnificent reflexion. “I-Its beautiful… Ah've never seen a gosh darn tool like that…” Like a moth to flame, her body began to move faster. Twilight set a hoof in front of AJ to stop her. “AppleJack, I’m not finished.” “Oh, uh, pardon me.” The Apple apologised, slightly embarrassed. "However," Twilight began, " he looks different compared to what we've seen." Twilight frowned as she began to mull over her thoughts. "His color scheme is bland, and his body is very bulky so strength may be his biggest defence. His facial features don't closely resemble anything that I can recall..." Twilight's frown twitched upwards into smile. "Oh sweet Celestia girls! This could be whole new species of a potentially rare animal!" Rainbow looked down in embarrassment, “Oh no…” Twilight grew a grin borderlining mad mare style. “This is so exciting! I must start my notes on them from scratch to avoid any oversights in biological variation or behavioral differs!” She pulled out a large note pad and quill with ink, from where is not worth asking. “I must write down everything!” “Aaannnd she completely nerds out over it….” RD face hooved. AppleJack shook her head, over whom was not known. “Can you continue, Twi?” Twilight flapped her wings once to show her excitement, “Oh yes! Anyway, Fluttershy, what did his teeth look like?” Not enjoying being put on the spotlight like that, she shrank back slightly. “Oh, uh...I think his teeth are of an omnivore…” Twilight scribbled something down rapidly. Rainbow Dash vocalized the thought that ran through her. “Omi-what?” The fellow equines didn't seem to know either, judging by confused visages. For the bookworm, it was just another learning opportunity. “It means he could, and should, consume food of botanic and carnivorous fare, although if he is truly civilized, he should always cook the living produce before eating it. This diet isn't as recurrent as an herbivore or carnivore, but it is one of the leading factors as a species’ diversity and environmental adaptability.” Her tone became worried, “That said, I still think it would be best if we remain cautious, he could also be violent, or even peaceful.” Because Twilight was leading she did not see her comrades look at eachother wearing more perplextion than before. Annoyed at this, Rainbow asked, “In laymares terms please!” Her height of intellectual pride deflated by minds inferior to the ideas about the word diversity of her choice. “He eats plant and animals, but usually cooks the meat first.” “Ohhhh…” Pinkie Pie made the connection in this relation. “So, like a griffon, but one that does more cooking?” “Well...sequentially yes...” The thunder of heavy objects being moved and tossed about echoed off the ancient walls, bringing attention to a more pressing matter. Fluttershy voiced a comment of concern. “If he is making this place his home, I’m afraid of what he might do to the castle, it’s not exactly stable…” Another rumble caused a small piece of ceiling to fall to the ground further down the hall. Reminding Rarity of certain... aspects... of the ruins. Her face turned into a vengeful scowl. “Also if I recall correctly, this place has an uncouth attitude toward newcomers as well.” With no proper context the group was left bemused on the matter, apart from Fluttershy, who understood the misfortune Rarity had endured the last time. Twilight continued her discussion, with a new topic. “I don't know what to expect, but I doubt we can’t get much cleaning done today, or ever, so long as he lives here.” Pinkie bounced even higher in excitement, “Maybe he’s getting more of that orange candy! I love that stuff! It's crunchy like rock candy, but tastes like an orange. Although it looks like a large Haybeprophen pill!” Rarity huffed, ignoring Pinkie and leaving off where Twi stopped, “We should at least find a way to get him to move, I for one have put too much work into these banners just to see them collect more dust in my closet than they already have!” The rasp of wood and stone gradually got louder as they approached the throne room. Deep from within the Man could be heard, mumbling something to himself, tensing the air from the unknown damage being wrought. Heads turned like a slow hand of a clock once the corner to the main room was in sight, and in reward of such anticipation, the scene was shocking. The room was surprisingly clean and clear of any large rubble, the Shovaxe was set aside leaning on the right wall, and the Giant was resting against the left wall fiddling with tree shrubs in the old crisscross position. This way of sitting however could have not been more foreign to a mammal with four legs. A backpack lay beside him. The rocks had been shoved into the space below the dual throne landing. “Huh,” Twilight said, somewhat perplexed, “I was expecting something worse, but still, I don't like what he did with those rocks. The last thing I want is for him to ruin something so historically perfect...” The quill had already started to write in subconscious thoughts and commands. Investigating the large tool, AppleJack and RD started to race towards it. Twilight panicked in the moment and yelled, “What did I just say about being careful?!” The Man looked over at the pair seeing their interest in the tool. However, his gaze returned to his work, and the sport pals continued to stare at the shovax. AppleJack shoved off Twilight’s warning, “No harm done sugarcube, he don’t seem ta mind!” In detail the tool was basic, but to a small horse, it was a sight to behold. “What is this thing?” Rainbow’s voice was filled with fascination, not often seen as one of her attributes. However, the Man did not seem to acknowledge the pegasus, and he continued to mess with the trees. A pile of leaves and smaller branches was forming on the ground by his bag. “Hey! Im talking to you!” She got in his face, “Say something you giant ape!” The eyes through the lenses glanced up at her. His voice spoke of an ominous warning about one's personal space towards hostile horses, but she lacked the ability to understand. All she heard was a deep pile of a complicated language her brain couldn’t even try and comprehend. “Oh yeah, language barrier...” Twilight trotted up to her. “Not a problem Rainbow, theres a spell for practically everything!” Like the proud user of magic she was, her horn glowed with a gentle glimmer. But instead of a peaceful execution her magic was repulsed upon contact with the human and backfired on her, sending her to the floor on her tummy. “Ohhh, that didn’t feel good…” Fluttershy flew up to aid her downed friend. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” She groaned while getting up. “But I think he rejected my magic...Or vise versa, I don't know…” Then the quill and pad picked themselves back up again, and started writing faster than ever. “Immune to magic...Immune to magic!?” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Only a hooful of beings to ever have immunity are known! And they all live in the depths of Tartarus! That settles it, he must be a rare species of bipedal giants!” Rainbow facehooved. “All I wanted to do is ask about the shovel, not have another egg head freakout!” AJ laughed at the ignorance of her sport pal. “Rainbow, what this here tool is couldn’t be more clear if it were made of ice cubes! This here is ah shovel, that’s also ah axe! Clever thinkin’ ta come up with this.” Rarity trotted up to the Man and felt the fabric of his shirt with her hoof, again he shot a quick glance before ignoring her. “Besides, thats no way to talk to a… Gentle… Thing...” It was a comment of respect, more for safety then for him. Her focus returned to the cotton. “Mmm, machine sewed, but soft and fine…” Her attention switched to the pants. “Jeans, not trending right now, but they are popular with the outdoorsy type…Thick boots on the feet, but…The material these are made of...I’ve never seen it before…” The boots were worn, but one could tell they were loved and maintained by a glance. Before she was able to move closer, the legs shifted causing her to back up quickly. The shrubbery pile was placed on the side before great arms reached over to the pile of rocks and began to arrange them into a circular mound in front of the thrones; before placing trees, logs and the pile of leaves and twigs in the center in that order. Twilight scribbled notes from what she could see, “He seems to be too engrossed in his work to really pay us much mind…” Her ears folded back as she knew full well what that was like. Wanting to investigate and feeling it was safe, Twilight took off the ground and began to hover over his head, watching him carefully place everything in the right spot. Evidently, she was too close to his head for comfort as the Man carefully lifted a hand to lightly move the pony away from his ear whilst wearing a face of agitation. Instead, not realizing she was annoying him with the sound of wing beats, the qrapid quill, nor invading his personal space, she switched to the other ear. Much to his further distress. Before the same action of pushing could be repeated, Fluttershy also found herself curious, and appeared where Twilight once floated. If things couldn't get worse, Pinke appeared nearby his hands, and was hopping between them while he worked like it was a little game. Cute, but not cute enough. An average person would like to think they have reasonable levels of tolerance before getting legitimately angry. This was one of those people, who did have a reasonable capacity for annoyances, but anger and irritation are two different things. Similar, but not exact by any means. Almost by instinct rather than by choice, the Man let loose a deep foreboding grumble. Getting up, he brushed aside some trees in a cubby, revealing the corpses of the Manticores stored away. Dismissing the interjections of the ponies, the man reached into his pocket, pulled out his knife, and walked out with the bodies with his body crouched over. Gathering on the now vacant space, which was surprisingly warm from the Giant, the team proceeded to react accordingly. Starting with Rainbow. “Did I see what I thought I saw?! Two manticores! He took down two manticores!” Rarity followed suit. “I know he’s in a bit of a outdoor pickle, but still…” Her body shuddered at recalling the sight just seen. Pinkie looked confused, “He sounded grumpy, was it something I did?” AppleJack furrowed her brow, “I’m not one to accuse, but thats just unsettling.” Twilight stared in the distance where he was once walking, the note pad having gone through many a pages already. “I agree, but I did warn you girls to be careful, now where’s he going?” Fluttershy gave Twilight a potent reminder, “We’ve seen giants before Twilight...he’s odd, but not mean like a dragon or ursa minor…” Dash made an more subliminal statement, “As for where he is going, I’d say going to clean the Manticore’s body of the good meat and bones, discard the waste, and then cook it with that fire pit.” This unusually specific statement brought silence which demanded some form of explanation. “I met Gilda’s father once, he likes to catch his own meals.” The silence felt satisfied, yet somewhat perturbed. Twilight was the first to come to the obvious conclusion, “He’s going to light a fire in the Castle!” Now Fluttershy says something, “He is kind of surviving out here Twilight, it is food for him…” Twilight, despite the factor of whom she was arguing with, retaliated. “Well, can't you explain to him what our side of this?” “I don't think so,” Flutters shuffled her hooves at the ground, “I can interpret what an animal is saying with its body language and emotion, but I can't seem to read him, because he acted open one moment, now he’s slightly more closed in…” Her shuffling was out of embarrassment for not being able to do her signature talent. “Besides he’s probably going to try to make this place his home,” “His,”-Twilight gulped-“Home?” AJ made a deadpan point, “Yeah, if it hadn't been made clear enough already…” Twilight became outraged at such a thought, stomping her hoof in resentment, “That settles it! If he moves into the castle, then it will become more scared than it already is!” “But Twilight,” Fluttershy reasoned, “he needs to eat…” Rainbow took the side of Twilight in this argument, “Eat meat shmeat! He needs to leave! On top of that, we were here first!” There was a mumble of agreement from the ponies, apart from Pinkie who was staring at where the man used to be, in an unnatural silence, before hopping back to his back pack. However, Fluttershy would not stand for such blasphemy, such unfairness, such lack of kindness. The group slowly became aware that the shy pony had begun hovering in the air looking down upon them with a scowl none wanted to see. The mumbles of agreement deflated into nothingness and the ears of the accused folded back in slight fear, realizing they had pushed off her opinion too long. “While I respect the desire to clean the castle, I will NOT allow this kind gentlepony to be kicked out of the castle! He desperately needs shelter more than we do! And to even jump to harsh conclusions just because he might eat meat is not fair or nice! We need to put his feelings into consideration before taking action!” Having let off her steam, the mare landed like a leaf, but retained her firm posture incase anypony dared to object. This declaration was followed by a polite set of apologies and self degrading shame. AppleJack, now having put a different set of consideration into his head, discovered another factor. “Girls, Ah’d say he could easily remove us if we dont find a solution fast...” Pinkie found a steel cup, much to big for her. “I think I have an idea!” Oh dear, I’ve made quite a mess...That was the first thought he got once the Man looked back at the rock (or boulder in anothers opinion) he used to butcher the manticores on. A spare small cloth used as a towel, emergency bandage, or in this case a way to carry the edible bits without getting ones hands more dirty than they already were, was being held in grasp on they way back to the abandoned ruins. Those little horses won't like this, but I got to conserve my reserves. No way around it. Besides, father always said not to let any little things get in the way of important work…Of course “little” was metaphorical, but it fits in here perfectly. He swallowed a sense of good will knowing what he might be putting the horses through, but then he spotted the pot again. Now with a free hand, the decoration found itself picked off the stand. Fine dust covered the fragile artifact, but a single puff cleaned the surface. The pot was shaped like an upside down bell. The foot of the piece was hidden by the curve of the bell, creating the illusion of no base at all, but as noted when the Man looked under the pot, a base was most present. Intricate swirls and lines covered the piece head to toe and the artwork was done with such expertise another illusion effect was created. If one stared at one spot of the piece, then moved focus to another spot, the whole design would appear to move as it it were alive before freezing again. Truly a fascinating piece to be able to play a trick on the eyes...I will put this on a pedestal of on a collapsed pillar, it is something I can admire despite my size and maybe the little ones will get a kick out of it. He turned the corner to the throne room yet again, holding his treasure in his palm. Before he could show them the entertaining bell, a disturbance in the picture before him had to be sorted. Three of the six only remained, with pictures, brushes, and brooms; all working hard to clean the place. There was a pair of banners above the thrones not previously seen, and now the purpose of the carts became clear. Tarps, new decorations, and little brushes...well I guess thats what the carts were for, but how did they get the tarps up there without the flying ones? Despite the dust and age soapy water did age justice with a slight sheen. But the pile of rock made by hands looked out of place, and even insulting to the beauty of the hall. The artwork added some warmth to the room, and the banners did make the place seem more alive. They want to restore their home, a home I wish to live in...but I can't bring myself to stay here if this is their rightful home. Purple flew up to his face, but not uncomfortably close. Her hooves had brushes on them, her eyes had a countenance of benevolent regret, and her smile was endearing. The Man returned this expression. However, if their behavior reflected the way they acted ten minutes ago...I’m gonna need a distraction...pottery! Kneeling down, he placed the pot of into the side in an archway. Almost ludicrously predicted, Purple flew down to investigate what it was, and her retort caught the attention of the other two workers. I suppose I should take my leave-Oh! Pinks was found tugging on his pants, like a dog, prompting him to lean down, and he set his towel of meat aside. “What is it, my little pony?” In his mind this was a simple play on useing horse. The Man did not know the significance behind those very words. The little one chirped like a morning bird on steroids and drinking espresso, anxious about something. She then sat on her haunches and reached upward as if begging for a hug. By taking extra care he used too hands to carefully lift her off the ground, instead of the possible but uncomfortable one hand, she found herself sitting in his hands once more. She then turned around and pointed down the hall toward an area not crossed. The man stood up as much as he could again and raised an eyebrow. His eyes wandered to where she was pointing, Is she trying show me something? Sitting up straight, she seemed to shout a command for forward. Extending his left leg out, the man took his first step forward. Seeing that the small pink pony was pleased by this action, he smiled and continued onward. At every necessary turn, her hoof would wave in the direction for him to take. As he moved a thought came to his mind and he chuckled all of this reminded him too much of his smartphone navigation he’d use. Instead of a Personal Navigation System, I have a Pony Navigation System! I could make trillions! But why make trillions... when I can make...billions! After a while of stepping over obstacles and accidentally smashing a few ancient walls. The duo arrived in large room, surprisingly much larger than the throne room, with an impressive set of tables which were slowly rotting away. Along the walls were windows that were missing glass panes, but the ceiling remained intact apart from the single hole where a decoration might have hung. The man examined the room eyes wide with astonishment, This... this must be the dinning hall! It looks just like the one in Harry Potter except it’s bigger... and slightly dirty. A throne room is to be big for the sake of awe and power, but the dining hall on the other hand was built to hold large, hungry armies as well as foreign delegates. Not to mention it was also built to show off the beautiful architecture and pieces of art that once lined these gracious walls, but now lie on the floor in rotting frames. The human stepped towards a nearby stain glass window. Peering through the chipped glass he could see trees as far as the eye can see, the sight still breath taking as before. He stepped back away from the window. You know... His mind began to wander, I think this place can work, he began to walk around the hall. Push a few tables out of the way and gather a few curtains I can have my own bed... and over here could be a fire place! Oh, and this back room here can be another storage spot! The eyes gazed through the glasses lenses and unto the small pink estate agent. The giant flashed her a tooth filled smile, “You deserve a reward!” The other hand snuck up behind her, and a hand carefully pet her. The fluffy mane, soft like a cloud. The fur, smooth and relaxing. The reaction, her jolting with fear but quickly melting into his gentle touch. When the praising fingers stopped stroking over the praised, the pink pony frowned in disappointment and demanded more by rubbing her head against his fingers, similar to how a cat would rub against its owner. However, the box of remaining Tic-Tacs from before made up for that. The recognizable box was retrieved from the back pocket yet again, and teasingly, he swayed the treats before the pony like a hypnotizer, and her eyes moved back and forth like a cat targeting its toy. Faster than the eye could see, the box was taken out of his grasp before he could blink. Greedily, she opened the box herself, and proceeded to pour the candy down her throat like a liquid. The man chuckled at the adorable sight but was then interrupted when he felt a handle poke at his side. What he saw, the Shovaxe floating in a purple glow, caused him to jump a little. In this he almost dropped Pink and frightened the others as he almost fell backwards in surprise. Except for Blue who found pleasure in laughing fer flank off. He began to back away from it like it was a ghost. The hell is this?! Purple flew up to him, and he saw her horn glowing, a horn he had noticed earlier. The eyes flickered back and forth from horse to tool, until the dots connected. Horn? Floating shovel...levitation? Which means...telekinesis? Cool... I think? Maybe somewhat disturbing... At first, like any other person, he felt inclined to scold her for scaring him. Although he settled for a momentary stare of death, getting the message Purple smiled sheepishly whilst drifting away. Rest of the day was spent in light hearted work, each left to their own. Ponies cleaned the throne room and the Man was left to himself to eat and work on his new accommodations. The hole in the ceiling overlooked a fireplace burning with the worst of the rudimentarily decomposing tables. One table remained as a worthy surface to be cleaned and used as a table. Wanting to make sure all survival priorities are covered, walked about the room naming them off out loud. “Fire, check, firewood, good enough for the night, water,–” He glanced at the boiling cup that was supposed to be for coffee, but it proved durable enough for boiling water. “–check, Food, tough as beef jerky but very satisfying, shelter.” He stopped short in front of one of the stain glass windows. “I need to make something to cover the windows. Time...” He instinctively looked at his wrist, only to realize there was no watch. “What the hell?” He asked out no one in particular. “I swore I’d broughten a watch with me, no seriously how could I’ve lost it...” He checked his surroundings seeing if he’d lost it. But to his avail nothing was in sight besides small piles of rubble; he sighed and glanced outside, checking the sky he mumbled. “I estimate it is five or six o'clock, not that much time for window covers, anyways,” He turned away and continued on with the list, “bedding, made of local shrubs, not my prefered choice but it’ll have to do.” The giant stopped in the center of the room and glanced about, “Tomorrow, I’ll need start fixing the walls and acquire more food and water, and possibly think of better bedding options.” He recalled the tent and sleeping bag were not with him, as those were already set up prior to- Prior to something….I left them somewhere, but not ‘here’ metaphorically speaking, I can't recall, yet again, what happened. Shit, first the watch now this freaking happens! Taking some well earned down time, he laid down on the leafed bedding, allowing his mind to wander deep within his thoughts. Damnit, these horses might have a connection, bothers me though. They’re friendly, no doubt about that, but if this world has such a thing as magic...The possibility that is the ponies’ fault is not out of question, as adorable and kind as they may be. I have shown them peace and, dare I say-uh-think it, compassion. We could be friends, but I have no reason to trust them, all I can be sure of, is that we leave each other alone. Well...I take that back, I have seen enough benevolence to trust them, as is likely they won't leave me be. If they come back on a regular basis I may have to trust them, and I recognize the intellect... Pink is friendly and funny in her own way, but in that her outright open heart is...for lack of a better word...ignorant. Yellow was smart, she recognized from Pink I was nice. Purple was cautious understandably, but she is very nosy, a bit counterintuitive in that sense. Orange, not much to say about her other than the fact she loves my tool. White, took interest in my clothes, and her sense of style is fancy in my opinion. Blue, protective and possibly violent. I don’t like her. The flickering fire was relaxing and it stayed strong thanks to the open breeze, but a unique noise cut through everything else. A clopping noise he had heard before. It was at the foot of his bed. Purple was sitting there, watching him. How long was she there is a mystery, much like how big the notepad she was still using was. Nosy, and down right creepy because of that...I am creeped out by a horse smaller than my foot. It shall be known that all in this castle has no such thing as pride. In a flash of teleportation, she was up by his head. “Or evidently no sense of personal space.” He made a mental note that teleportation was another ability of hers. Now she was up in his face, big time. The hooves examined the Man’s ears, hair, nose, eyes, and all the while the giant heard a few mumbles of gibberish and felt her breath as she moved while having to watch the quill smoking from such rapid motion. Now he could note the detail of a pony. Most wasn't anything note worthy, but the mark on her flank was intriguing. A butt mark...Like the purple pimpernel! Worthy is she as this must be the queen’s castle!! To his credit, a straight face was worn at all times. Until, she stepped over his face to look at the other side, and fell on his lips. Fate won't give me another chance! FIRE! Like an adult playing with the child, a surprise belly raspberry was blown. In turn, she performed what could only be described as a scream of laughter: Terrified, but involuntarily tickled into hysterics. It was followed that she attempted to beat him with her hooves had it not been for a quick hand to hold her. Berating while hitting him with the note pad seemed to be the remaining substitute, thankfully the mare forgot the Shovaxe remained close by. Just goes to show, that in some cases, women never change no matter where you are...ow, ow, ow...jeez! She can put force behind tha-owch!